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Editorial Reviews
The era of the Old Republic is a dark and dangerous time, as Jedi Knights valiantly battle the Sith Lords and their ruthless armies. But the Sith have disturbing plans—and none more so than the fulfillment of Darth Scabrous’s fanatical dream, which is about to become nightmarish reality.
Unlike those other Jedi sidelined to the Agricultural Corps—young Jedi whose abilities have not proved up to snuff—Hestizo Trace possesses one extraordinary Force talent: a gift with plants. Suddenly her quiet existence among greenhouse and garden specimens is violently destroyed by the arrival of an emissary from Darth Scabrous. For the rare black orchid that she has nurtured and bonded with is the final ingredient in an ancient Sith formula that promises to grant Darth Scabrous his greatest desire.
But at the heart of the formula is a never-before-seen virus that’s worse than fatal—it doesn’t just kill, it transforms. Now the rotting, ravenous dead are rising, driven by a bloodthirsty hunger for all things living—and commanded by a Sith Master with an insatiable lust for power and the ultimate prize: immortality . . . no matter the cost.
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!
Unlike those other Jedi sidelined to the Agricultural Corps—young Jedi whose abilities have not proved up to snuff—Hestizo Trace possesses one extraordinary Force talent: a gift with plants. Suddenly her quiet existence among greenhouse and garden specimens is violently destroyed by the arrival of an emissary from Darth Scabrous. For the rare black orchid that she has nurtured and bonded with is the final ingredient in an ancient Sith formula that promises to grant Darth Scabrous his greatest desire.
But at the heart of the formula is a never-before-seen virus that’s worse than fatal—it doesn’t just kill, it transforms. Now the rotting, ravenous dead are rising, driven by a bloodthirsty hunger for all things living—and commanded by a Sith Master with an insatiable lust for power and the ultimate prize: immortality . . . no matter the cost.
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!
Related Reviews
A weak entry in the Star Wars universe and in the horror genre
Red Harvest by Joe Schreiber is a prequel to Schreiber's previous Star Wars tale, Death Troopers, which attempted to be the first Star Wars horror novel. I was not thrilled with Death Troopers, but if I ever get truly desperate for a read and pick it back up, maybe I'll discuss its problems on here.
You should know that I love Star Wars and the Star Wars universe. I have several shelves full of the books and own all but one of the movies (episode I, which I'm waiting to find cheap at a garage sale or something). However, that doesn't prevent me from taking a critical look at the stories or the novels either.
So back to my review. I said this was a prequel to Death Troopers. And it is....but it's not a normal prequel. This prequel take place a little over 3,000 years earlier. This means none of the same characters (thank goodness), a different setting, and no Stormtroopers around to get infected by virus that turns living creatures into ravaging zombies.
The story largely takes place around a Sith academy. Darth Scabrous seeks the key to immortality. He has gathered nearly all of the pieces. All he needs is the juice from a rare orchid. A hired bounty hunter discovers the flower in the care of Hestizo, a young woman who trained as a Jedi but didn't have the ability to become a full knight. Instead, she tends to this orchid, which has a strong force bond to her. If they are separated by too great a distance, the orchid will die. So, Hestizo is kidnapped with the flower and brought before the Sith lord.
Using the final ingredients, Scarbrous nears completion of his task. He injects part of a serum into a Sith Student and the student quickly turns into a mindless killing machine. The mind of the student is dead and is replaced with a powerful bloodlust - a zombie. True to zombie form, if any bodily fluids from a zombie comes in contact with your own fluids, you become infected as well. This Sith zombie escapes and soon more and more Sith students are nothing more than blood thirsty monsters. Darth Scarbrous still has one last thing to do before he can gain immortality and Hestizo wants nothing more that to get off the planet.
Despite not liking Death Troopers, I was hoping that Red Harvest would be better. For one, I knew it would have completely original characters and wouldn't attempt to bring in well known ones (Han Solo and Chewbacca in the case of Death Troopers). Plus, I find the time period interesting, especially with the Sith versus Jedi thread being extremely strong. I was rather disappointed to find Red Harvest barely better than its precursor.
1) The first thing Schreiber did was wrong was having a sentient plant A sentient, force sensitive plant who's only purpose was the be the catalyst for the zombie-disease and encourage the good guys. Yes, I know Star Wars has a sentient planet, but the planet actually had purpose, character, and even had a back-story. This flower is just a flower that talks. That it is sentient adds nothing substantial to the story.
2) The characters are extremely weak. Back story is kept to a bare minimum, replaced by characters mulling over their ultimate goal or watching people getting bitten by zombies. Darth Scarbrous wants to be immortal, but that is really all we know. I want to know about his standing as a Sith. I want to know how much power he truly holds. I don't know him at all. I also don't know Hestizo. So she didn't end up being a Jedi, I get that. But that seems to be the only thing behind her. I don't care about her. I don't care if she lives or dies, because she doesn't seem real. The only character I really started to like and who I wanted to see more of died 1/4th the way through the story...
3) Writing the word "blood" does not make this a horror novel. But Schreiber seems to think that. Horror should stem from the circumstances and the characters, not the presence of gratuitous violence. Honestly, the violence isn't even realistic sounding. All Schreiber seems to do is write about blood flying. Perhaps he's going for the `slasher' genre, but even then the amount he dedicates to writing about the violence is more than a scene demands. It was a short book already (under 300 pages) and it felt like he wrote more violent scenes just to beef up the size a bit.
Still, I think that the horror element failed. The first task should be to make me feel any emotion besides apathy toward the characters. Then, the characters have to go through ordeals in which I honestly don't know how they'll be affected. Sure, if it's half way through the book I figure the lead won't die, but that doesn't mean horrific things can't happen or affect them!
A horror story needs more than zombies.
Finally, as a part of the Star Wars universe, it wasn't particularly strong. We don't learn a whole lot about the Sith, which is regrettable. Until recently there were very few books or stories about the times when Sith were as plentiful as Jedi. This book could've benefited from an inside look at the Sith since most of the story takes place on a Sith world. Given that it is a Sith academy, we could learn about the teachings of the Sith. We could learn about Sith students. We get a bit in the Darth Bane books, but being over thousand years earlier, this easily could've given us strong insight into the Sith view of the force. Fatal Alliance, set only a little before this, did a much better job at delving into the Sith teachings and practices. A main character was a Sith apprentice who was a character I actually cared to know more about. The story went through twists and turns that kept it interesting, and it played on the Sith versus Jedi dynamic. I am looking forward to Deceived, and hope it continues the arc, since Red Harvest just didn't do it for me.
1.5/5
You should know that I love Star Wars and the Star Wars universe. I have several shelves full of the books and own all but one of the movies (episode I, which I'm waiting to find cheap at a garage sale or something). However, that doesn't prevent me from taking a critical look at the stories or the novels either.
So back to my review. I said this was a prequel to Death Troopers. And it is....but it's not a normal prequel. This prequel take place a little over 3,000 years earlier. This means none of the same characters (thank goodness), a different setting, and no Stormtroopers around to get infected by virus that turns living creatures into ravaging zombies.
The story largely takes place around a Sith academy. Darth Scabrous seeks the key to immortality. He has gathered nearly all of the pieces. All he needs is the juice from a rare orchid. A hired bounty hunter discovers the flower in the care of Hestizo, a young woman who trained as a Jedi but didn't have the ability to become a full knight. Instead, she tends to this orchid, which has a strong force bond to her. If they are separated by too great a distance, the orchid will die. So, Hestizo is kidnapped with the flower and brought before the Sith lord.
Using the final ingredients, Scarbrous nears completion of his task. He injects part of a serum into a Sith Student and the student quickly turns into a mindless killing machine. The mind of the student is dead and is replaced with a powerful bloodlust - a zombie. True to zombie form, if any bodily fluids from a zombie comes in contact with your own fluids, you become infected as well. This Sith zombie escapes and soon more and more Sith students are nothing more than blood thirsty monsters. Darth Scarbrous still has one last thing to do before he can gain immortality and Hestizo wants nothing more that to get off the planet.
Despite not liking Death Troopers, I was hoping that Red Harvest would be better. For one, I knew it would have completely original characters and wouldn't attempt to bring in well known ones (Han Solo and Chewbacca in the case of Death Troopers). Plus, I find the time period interesting, especially with the Sith versus Jedi thread being extremely strong. I was rather disappointed to find Red Harvest barely better than its precursor.
1) The first thing Schreiber did was wrong was having a sentient plant A sentient, force sensitive plant who's only purpose was the be the catalyst for the zombie-disease and encourage the good guys. Yes, I know Star Wars has a sentient planet, but the planet actually had purpose, character, and even had a back-story. This flower is just a flower that talks. That it is sentient adds nothing substantial to the story.
2) The characters are extremely weak. Back story is kept to a bare minimum, replaced by characters mulling over their ultimate goal or watching people getting bitten by zombies. Darth Scarbrous wants to be immortal, but that is really all we know. I want to know about his standing as a Sith. I want to know how much power he truly holds. I don't know him at all. I also don't know Hestizo. So she didn't end up being a Jedi, I get that. But that seems to be the only thing behind her. I don't care about her. I don't care if she lives or dies, because she doesn't seem real. The only character I really started to like and who I wanted to see more of died 1/4th the way through the story...
3) Writing the word "blood" does not make this a horror novel. But Schreiber seems to think that. Horror should stem from the circumstances and the characters, not the presence of gratuitous violence. Honestly, the violence isn't even realistic sounding. All Schreiber seems to do is write about blood flying. Perhaps he's going for the `slasher' genre, but even then the amount he dedicates to writing about the violence is more than a scene demands. It was a short book already (under 300 pages) and it felt like he wrote more violent scenes just to beef up the size a bit.
Still, I think that the horror element failed. The first task should be to make me feel any emotion besides apathy toward the characters. Then, the characters have to go through ordeals in which I honestly don't know how they'll be affected. Sure, if it's half way through the book I figure the lead won't die, but that doesn't mean horrific things can't happen or affect them!
A horror story needs more than zombies.
Finally, as a part of the Star Wars universe, it wasn't particularly strong. We don't learn a whole lot about the Sith, which is regrettable. Until recently there were very few books or stories about the times when Sith were as plentiful as Jedi. This book could've benefited from an inside look at the Sith since most of the story takes place on a Sith world. Given that it is a Sith academy, we could learn about the teachings of the Sith. We could learn about Sith students. We get a bit in the Darth Bane books, but being over thousand years earlier, this easily could've given us strong insight into the Sith view of the force. Fatal Alliance, set only a little before this, did a much better job at delving into the Sith teachings and practices. A main character was a Sith apprentice who was a character I actually cared to know more about. The story went through twists and turns that kept it interesting, and it played on the Sith versus Jedi dynamic. I am looking forward to Deceived, and hope it continues the arc, since Red Harvest just didn't do it for me.
1.5/5
Doesn't fit in the star wars universe
This is a zombie novel, no more, no less. The zombie-raising necromancer happens to be sith lord raising sith apprentices. The protagonist happens to be a jedi. There is really no other essential connection to the star wars universe/mythos as opposed to any other fantasy or sci-fi world.
I've read nearly a hundred star wars novels and loved most of them, but this one disappointed. Outside of video games (which always seems to turn the Force into Magic), jedi should not talk to plants. Sith sorcery is always a corner case- the thought bomb, and darth bane's method of achieving immortality, for example- but "force-sensitive orchid turns corpses into zombie who in turn affect others" just seems wrong. There isn't really much plot or development, either- it's just a couple hundred pages of trying to survive and escape. Not really setting a lot of new hooks for new stories, and not really leading out of earlier stories in the timeline or into existing later ones.
I've read nearly a hundred star wars novels and loved most of them, but this one disappointed. Outside of video games (which always seems to turn the Force into Magic), jedi should not talk to plants. Sith sorcery is always a corner case- the thought bomb, and darth bane's method of achieving immortality, for example- but "force-sensitive orchid turns corpses into zombie who in turn affect others" just seems wrong. There isn't really much plot or development, either- it's just a couple hundred pages of trying to survive and escape. Not really setting a lot of new hooks for new stories, and not really leading out of earlier stories in the timeline or into existing later ones.
The book will sell well simply because it is Star Wars, but it is a futile attempt to take advantage of the growing zombie craze in recent years. Death Troopers and Red Harvest really have no place in the EU and are just another way for Lucas to chase the almighty dollar
Fails as a Star Wars and horror novel.
I'm a fan of both horror and Star Wars and as I say in my title, this novel, which is more like a short story, fails on both fronts. I liked the idea of visiting a Sith school and that one of its masters creates this disease but seriously, it's almost like Schreiber was working on some other project at the same time that he deemed more important and turned into his editors basically an outline of what he was going to do in a story. All of the characters are one dimensional. The plot and the characters' motivations made no sense. The story is riddled with problems that defy all logic. Over and over again I found myself asking, "why is this character behaving like this?"
As a horror novel, this book is poorly written. The story has no sense of dread, tension or fear that you would expect. It's like all Schreiber thinks he has to do to make a horror novel is mix up a bunch of gory words in a hat, fish some out a few at a time and use those as his descriptions for the action. Geez, he really needs to go back and read some of the horror classics and try to learn from those.
As a Star Wars novel this also doesn't work. First off, I thought I was going to be transported into a completely different time in the Star Wars universe and I might learn something interesting about it. It's supposed to be set hundreds of years before the movies occur. As far as I can tell from Schreiber's book, everything is exactly the same except there are more Sith in the galaxy. Just an introduction of some kind with information about what is happening during this time period would have been helpful. Imagine this story happening in the current EU and you will see what I mean. What exactly is different about this universe other than there are more Sith and zombies?
I'm really surprised at all these four and five stars. Seriously guys did we read the same book? Have you ever read a decent dark fantasy or good Star Wars novel before? No offense but this is lousy.
Mathew Stover would have been a better choice for a novel of this type. He knows how to write dark stories, with developed characters that you sympathize with and descriptions that really bring you into a whole other world. If this trend continues in the future, I can only hope they get better authors for the books. This is a real disappointment.
As a horror novel, this book is poorly written. The story has no sense of dread, tension or fear that you would expect. It's like all Schreiber thinks he has to do to make a horror novel is mix up a bunch of gory words in a hat, fish some out a few at a time and use those as his descriptions for the action. Geez, he really needs to go back and read some of the horror classics and try to learn from those.
As a Star Wars novel this also doesn't work. First off, I thought I was going to be transported into a completely different time in the Star Wars universe and I might learn something interesting about it. It's supposed to be set hundreds of years before the movies occur. As far as I can tell from Schreiber's book, everything is exactly the same except there are more Sith in the galaxy. Just an introduction of some kind with information about what is happening during this time period would have been helpful. Imagine this story happening in the current EU and you will see what I mean. What exactly is different about this universe other than there are more Sith and zombies?
I'm really surprised at all these four and five stars. Seriously guys did we read the same book? Have you ever read a decent dark fantasy or good Star Wars novel before? No offense but this is lousy.
Mathew Stover would have been a better choice for a novel of this type. He knows how to write dark stories, with developed characters that you sympathize with and descriptions that really bring you into a whole other world. If this trend continues in the future, I can only hope they get better authors for the books. This is a real disappointment.
On the cold desolate planet Odacer-Faustin, Sith Master Lord Darth Scabrous sets up a training program to teach the young the techniques in using the dark side of the Force. Rumors abound that the Sith Master searches for the right pupils who will fill his formula for immortality. From time to time a student vanishes. One of the trainees who disappears Wim Nickter finds himself surrounded by medical equipment. He will "donate" his blood to Scabrous. As he lies dying the onset of a plague begins.
Scabrous seeks a Murkamis Orchid, which he receives when "talented botanist" Hestizo Trace "delivers "the plant to the Sith Lord. The sentient flower has bonded with Hestizo and needs her as does Scabrous. He abducts the human and takes her to his planet for she and her dark orchid are the final keys to his immortality formula. Her brother Jedi Knight Rojo traces her through the Force as he wants to save his sister, but finds himself facing an army of zombies and worse.
If someone told me when I saw the first Star Wars movie back in ancient times I would read a Star Wars novel with zombies and a Sith Lord acting like a vampire, I would have said no way. Yet, Joe Schreiber entertainingly brings zombie fever to the Force during the Old Republic era. Zo is a heroic person who fights to the end to prevent the zombie pathogen from turning pandemic. However this is Lord Darth Scabrous' story as his insidious malevolence owns the exciting tale. Mr. Schreiber provides a face to evil as the Force turns to its darkest horror niches.
Harriet Klausner
Scabrous seeks a Murkamis Orchid, which he receives when "talented botanist" Hestizo Trace "delivers "the plant to the Sith Lord. The sentient flower has bonded with Hestizo and needs her as does Scabrous. He abducts the human and takes her to his planet for she and her dark orchid are the final keys to his immortality formula. Her brother Jedi Knight Rojo traces her through the Force as he wants to save his sister, but finds himself facing an army of zombies and worse.
If someone told me when I saw the first Star Wars movie back in ancient times I would read a Star Wars novel with zombies and a Sith Lord acting like a vampire, I would have said no way. Yet, Joe Schreiber entertainingly brings zombie fever to the Force during the Old Republic era. Zo is a heroic person who fights to the end to prevent the zombie pathogen from turning pandemic. However this is Lord Darth Scabrous' story as his insidious malevolence owns the exciting tale. Mr. Schreiber provides a face to evil as the Force turns to its darkest horror niches.
Harriet Klausner
Joe Schreiber - No longer buying any of his "Star Wars" books.
Without giving away any spoilers, i'll make this a short and potentially very helpful guide to Hardcore "Expanded-Universe" Star Wars readers. Again, I mention this, the only ones who would take this review as being remotely helpful are the Hardcore Expanded Universe geeks/nerds such as myself. To those looking for a simple, "Star Wars, Lightsabers, Jedi" pay no mind and enjoy a good book.
The author takes movie quotes from the movie "Taken" and incorporates them into the book which changes the jedi perspective of how we've all come to see and confirmed about them. See page 53.
The other major problem involving this author is that he has this insatiable lust for inventing new things and overdoing it. We who read the expanded universe novels enjoy the small and gradual income of new knowledge, but the way this author writes it makes his books come off, Half-Finished... No research(Hence the plethora of new items, planets, force powers), Linear(No story, bland bland bland.) and ultimately a "I put Star Wars in the Title, I must be great."
This is the second review of a book I have ever written in my 25 years of life, I don't feel the need to write a review unless I truly want to warn someone away from a certain book who has expectations like I did.
As for casual readers who pick it up for the zombie/sci-fi'esque read... Good book.
For us Expanded-Universe nuts, give it a read if only to say, "Hey, I read this." and store it up along with your other 100+ novels you have on your shelf.
P.s. With the release of "The Old Republic" mmo coming out soon, I would have no trouble sleeping at night, by saying that the authors whole inspiration for placing this book back in 'Old Republic' era is simply so that somehow, someway, even by a fraction of a chance... that Bioware would incorporate his "Zombie" books into the lore/game somehow and garnish some kind of royalty if anything as minimal as being mentioned.
The author takes movie quotes from the movie "Taken" and incorporates them into the book which changes the jedi perspective of how we've all come to see and confirmed about them. See page 53.
The other major problem involving this author is that he has this insatiable lust for inventing new things and overdoing it. We who read the expanded universe novels enjoy the small and gradual income of new knowledge, but the way this author writes it makes his books come off, Half-Finished... No research(Hence the plethora of new items, planets, force powers), Linear(No story, bland bland bland.) and ultimately a "I put Star Wars in the Title, I must be great."
This is the second review of a book I have ever written in my 25 years of life, I don't feel the need to write a review unless I truly want to warn someone away from a certain book who has expectations like I did.
As for casual readers who pick it up for the zombie/sci-fi'esque read... Good book.
For us Expanded-Universe nuts, give it a read if only to say, "Hey, I read this." and store it up along with your other 100+ novels you have on your shelf.
P.s. With the release of "The Old Republic" mmo coming out soon, I would have no trouble sleeping at night, by saying that the authors whole inspiration for placing this book back in 'Old Republic' era is simply so that somehow, someway, even by a fraction of a chance... that Bioware would incorporate his "Zombie" books into the lore/game somehow and garnish some kind of royalty if anything as minimal as being mentioned.
A very fun read. Just the right amount of horror and gore to make it an enjoyable "horror" book, yet still feels like it belongs in the Star Wars mythos. The test of any novel is to make the scene play out in your head. Red Harvest came through in spades. I can't recommend this book enough. It was just an enjoyable read. I am hoping we see more Star Wars horror novels.
The first book in the SW horror series by this author was okay. Bit "out of the norm" but the setting and the characters fit right in with movie era SW lore. Basically a gruesome tale of SW.
This one...with some subtle tweaking could totally be about any other series or just not in SW at all.
Frankly I didn't like it and found myself skimming a lot. Finished it in about 3-4 days simply because I didn't read it often and didn't really care for it.
This one...with some subtle tweaking could totally be about any other series or just not in SW at all.
Frankly I didn't like it and found myself skimming a lot. Finished it in about 3-4 days simply because I didn't read it often and didn't really care for it.
Okay, so, first off, it's Star Wars and zombies. Something Joe Schreiber gets right!
So, this book has great characters. (I'm not going to name them, just look at the Dramatis Personae in the front of the book) This time there's no characters from the movie you know will survive!
He was very good at creating characters with strong backgrounds, making you think they'll be with the other survivor of the book... then, BAM! They're dead. This happened a few times, and added a classic horror movie feel to it.
It could be the fan boy in me, but this is one of my favorite Star Wars books! (1. Rule of Two 2. Path of Destruction 3. Death Troopers 4. Red Harvest) But, like all Star Wars books, this is flawed.
The characters seemed just a little too easy to kill. I mean, a Jedi killed by a Sith with a sword? Seriously?
Secondly, what's with the whole "Terminator" act with some of these characters?
And lastly, it was a bit short and the ending felt too quick.
I did enjoy the twist at the ending, and it made it interesting. The way these people get infected makes it seem as an Archaiac version of Death Trooper's infections, counting the color of the goo stuff.
This book was plain visceral, with some gore. If I had to rate this on gore factor, five out of six. If I had to rate it on horror factor, eight out of ten.
Hope this review helped!
So, this book has great characters. (I'm not going to name them, just look at the Dramatis Personae in the front of the book) This time there's no characters from the movie you know will survive!
He was very good at creating characters with strong backgrounds, making you think they'll be with the other survivor of the book... then, BAM! They're dead. This happened a few times, and added a classic horror movie feel to it.
It could be the fan boy in me, but this is one of my favorite Star Wars books! (1. Rule of Two 2. Path of Destruction 3. Death Troopers 4. Red Harvest) But, like all Star Wars books, this is flawed.
The characters seemed just a little too easy to kill. I mean, a Jedi killed by a Sith with a sword? Seriously?
Secondly, what's with the whole "Terminator" act with some of these characters?
And lastly, it was a bit short and the ending felt too quick.
I did enjoy the twist at the ending, and it made it interesting. The way these people get infected makes it seem as an Archaiac version of Death Trooper's infections, counting the color of the goo stuff.
This book was plain visceral, with some gore. If I had to rate this on gore factor, five out of six. If I had to rate it on horror factor, eight out of ten.
Hope this review helped!
Not impressed and does not fit into the Star Wars series. I felt that this was a misfire and would not recommend it to any Star Wars fan.
THis book is just falt out awesome. The pace is kind of slow atthe beging but it speeds up fast. The actual story is unpredictable but that just adds to the suspense of the book. The MOre horror like side of star wars come through inthe zombie pact ravaging clan of the undead with no other care but to spread the virus and claim more victims. The evil lord Darth Scarborous has found an ancient Sith potion that will grant imortallity but there is one ingredient left. A plant. This plant has a special connetion to the force and one living person, a death bond. This book is non stop action packed and never gets old. OH YEAH and be sure to read the sequel Death troopers.Star Wars: Death Troopers
I am not one for writing so you will have to bear with me here, but it will be short. I was somewhat intrigued by the possible storyline. It did not leave any room for your mind to wander and think of all the possibilities. I was, and I think other would be able to see that it was way too hand holding and predictable. Not to mention short. When I saw it was 244 pages or so I was thinking it would last, but the print is big and you can zoom through it in short order.
The characters where interesting, well, for the short while you knew them. Very little development because they all died. One of the bounty hunters got to be played out well as did one of the jedi, but something about it just did not keep me interested in them.
Not to drag it down too far, I will say that I was jaded to begin with to think that a Star Wars novel needed zombies. So even with the predestined "not to like it" attitude I will say that it was interesting enough to read it in 3 hours and was entertaining. Every peice of entertainment does not have to utterly thrill you, but merely allow you to enjoy the story. This book did deliver that.
If you like to see sith zombies, go to the library and grab this book. That is what I did, and I am returning it tomorrow.
The characters where interesting, well, for the short while you knew them. Very little development because they all died. One of the bounty hunters got to be played out well as did one of the jedi, but something about it just did not keep me interested in them.
Not to drag it down too far, I will say that I was jaded to begin with to think that a Star Wars novel needed zombies. So even with the predestined "not to like it" attitude I will say that it was interesting enough to read it in 3 hours and was entertaining. Every peice of entertainment does not have to utterly thrill you, but merely allow you to enjoy the story. This book did deliver that.
If you like to see sith zombies, go to the library and grab this book. That is what I did, and I am returning it tomorrow.
I was dissapointed with this book. For the most part it could have been set in any universe. It wasn't until I was well into the book that it began to feel at all like a Star Wars book and in the end, it would require only small changes to remove it entirely from the Star Wars universe. The story was also fairly predictable and very inconsistent. But it was enjoyable and not completely without merrit. So if you go in with low expectations, you'll probably enjoy it.
I really felt let down after reading this. Granted, I'm not much into zombie-type reads and those of you who maight enjoy this. It really had very little to do with Star Wars. Take out the words "Jedi" and "Sith" and there was precious little to make this a SW book. I'll donate it to the local library since I will nevre read it again as I have done with many SW books.
Star Wars and Horror combine, for mixed results
While I did enjoy Star Wars: Death Troopers, Joe Schriber's for foray into combining Star Wars and Horror, it did have a few problems (including the inclusion of famous Star Wars characters) which hampered the overall feel of the story. In Red Harvest, he smartly goes to a time period in the Star Wars EU where you can do what he wishes with the characters. This makes it more exciting since you won't know what happens to everyone before hand. The problem I had was that the death scenes kinda repeated themselves after a while, and a certain Jedi is added to just get wasted towards the end of the book. The pacing is good, and it is a quick read, and I believe it blends Star Wars and Horror well enough to recommend it.
I am very excited about Star Wars branching out into other genres of storytelling within this universe. Usually Star Wars follows the template of an adventure-fantasy-historical mix. This time a horror story is told, a zombie story, that takes place thousands of years before the movie narratives. A Sith academy is infected with hungry, undead students and masters all because a Sith lord, Darth Scabrous, stubled upon a potion that could make him immortal. It makes him immortal, alright!
A couple of brother and sister Jedi Knights, a bounty hunter, a starship mechanic, a sentient orchid, and uninfected Sith pupils get caught up in their own story archs as they battle for survival on this bloody night. This is supposed to be the prequel to STAR WARS: DEATH TROOPERS by the same author.
A couple of brother and sister Jedi Knights, a bounty hunter, a starship mechanic, a sentient orchid, and uninfected Sith pupils get caught up in their own story archs as they battle for survival on this bloody night. This is supposed to be the prequel to STAR WARS: DEATH TROOPERS by the same author.
I'll be short and to the point, this was a very enjoyable read. It is completely different than most Star Wars book.
I must admit I bought the book for it's cover. The Sith Zombie looked cool and I thought it would be a great Star Wars story.
However, it turned out to be a cliche horror story lacking the strength of other Star Wars novels I have read.
The book blatantly ripped off movies like "Taken" and "Terminator". I nearly fell out of bed laughing when the Jedi character quoted Liam Neeson telling the abductor of his sister about his "Special set of skills".
The story took place in a Sith academy, so the characters were mostly students. But I kept getting mad when the Force never seemed to work for anyone. The few seasoned Jedi or Sith Masters that briefly appeared in the story seemed to lack any of the usual strength of a Jedi Knight. If the Force Unleashed takes Force wielding to a new level, this book makes it seem useless. The main Jedi who is a florist forgets she can use the force a lot and needs to be reminded by a flower.
The book is very short and the writing lacks great detail. I would suggest buying the paper back version and don't waste money on the hard cover edition.
I know the horror aspect is what makes this story different and will be what attracts a lot of readers. But if you are looking for a great Star Wars series, check out "Legacy of the Force" and "Fate of the Jedi".
However, it turned out to be a cliche horror story lacking the strength of other Star Wars novels I have read.
The book blatantly ripped off movies like "Taken" and "Terminator". I nearly fell out of bed laughing when the Jedi character quoted Liam Neeson telling the abductor of his sister about his "Special set of skills".
The story took place in a Sith academy, so the characters were mostly students. But I kept getting mad when the Force never seemed to work for anyone. The few seasoned Jedi or Sith Masters that briefly appeared in the story seemed to lack any of the usual strength of a Jedi Knight. If the Force Unleashed takes Force wielding to a new level, this book makes it seem useless. The main Jedi who is a florist forgets she can use the force a lot and needs to be reminded by a flower.
The book is very short and the writing lacks great detail. I would suggest buying the paper back version and don't waste money on the hard cover edition.
I know the horror aspect is what makes this story different and will be what attracts a lot of readers. But if you are looking for a great Star Wars series, check out "Legacy of the Force" and "Fate of the Jedi".
I didn't like it. It didn't feel heroic like any Starwars stories should. Repetitive, innacurrate and deep down boring. Don't buy this. Without spoiling, the 2 times one of the main charater get into trouble and you wonder how she'll get out, it's outside her control and the very same thing happens the 2 times... Now come on.
I went into this book on the strength of the author's previous work Death Troopers which I loved and the mix of zombies and sith, what could go wrong?
Well, I don't know but somewhere, something is missing from this book. I hate when I get this feeling. I want to know what is wrong or right with a book, but on this one I have just felt disapponted at the end.
Pros: Short read, read it in a couple of hours.
Good expansion of the universe. I hate always staying in the core universe. Let's get away from Tatooine, Coruscant, Naboo, Alderaan, etc.
Zombies and Sith.
Cons: Wish I could name them. Just not happy after reading it.
If you haven't read Death Troopers yet, don't let this volume stop you. It is a great addition to the line, where this one was just "meh".
Well, I don't know but somewhere, something is missing from this book. I hate when I get this feeling. I want to know what is wrong or right with a book, but on this one I have just felt disapponted at the end.
Pros: Short read, read it in a couple of hours.
Good expansion of the universe. I hate always staying in the core universe. Let's get away from Tatooine, Coruscant, Naboo, Alderaan, etc.
Zombies and Sith.
Cons: Wish I could name them. Just not happy after reading it.
If you haven't read Death Troopers yet, don't let this volume stop you. It is a great addition to the line, where this one was just "meh".
Sith vs. zombies... who do you root for?
The Sith Academy on Odacer-Faustin is among the most imposing and demanding in the galaxy, turning Force-sensitive youngsters into diamond-hard warriors and viciously capable monsters, trained to seek power and destroy obstacles. As the most promising students duel with light sabers and mind games alike, the Dark Lord Scabrous conducts horrifying experiments in his tower, the rumors of which chill the bones of even the hardiest students. But when a parcel arrives for the Dark Lord, accompanied by an unwilling Jedi, the dead will rise and the students will face their ultimate challenge...
//Red Harvest// is the sequel-in-spirit to Schreiber's hit horror novel //Death Troopers//, and he brings the same gusto and grotesque joy to the Star Wars universe. It's rare to see zombies battling such vicious and powerful adversaries, and seeing the Sith students under siege was a treat. Plus, these aren't your run-of-the-mill undead, so the playing field is more even than expected
There are a few "good guys" thrown in, but honestly, they're unnecessary (emotionally, not narratively), and I wish Schreiber had had the confidence to go with only the Sith students for protagonists. Nonetheless, it's a fun, occasionally disgusting, and generally effective read.
Reviewed by Glenn Dallas
//Red Harvest// is the sequel-in-spirit to Schreiber's hit horror novel //Death Troopers//, and he brings the same gusto and grotesque joy to the Star Wars universe. It's rare to see zombies battling such vicious and powerful adversaries, and seeing the Sith students under siege was a treat. Plus, these aren't your run-of-the-mill undead, so the playing field is more even than expected
There are a few "good guys" thrown in, but honestly, they're unnecessary (emotionally, not narratively), and I wish Schreiber had had the confidence to go with only the Sith students for protagonists. Nonetheless, it's a fun, occasionally disgusting, and generally effective read.
Reviewed by Glenn Dallas
A Middle Schoolers Perspective
I feel like this book was really good. It was missing development in most of the characters. The main idea of the book was creative because who doesn't like Sith and Zombies? Now I'll go into some spoilers so if you have not read this book stop reading this review.
SPOILER
What I dislike about this book was that most of the main characters die shortly after they are introduced. A few lucky characters manage to either stay alive or not be destroyed when turned into zombies. Two thirds of the main characters were Sith students or Sith Lords. I really liked the character Tulkh. When he fought the zombies he impressed me with his skills. Only two characters survived the zombie infection, which I thought was lame.
Overall I really liked the book and would recommend it to any Star Wars fan.
*This review was written by Barbara's 6th grade son.
SPOILER
What I dislike about this book was that most of the main characters die shortly after they are introduced. A few lucky characters manage to either stay alive or not be destroyed when turned into zombies. Two thirds of the main characters were Sith students or Sith Lords. I really liked the character Tulkh. When he fought the zombies he impressed me with his skills. Only two characters survived the zombie infection, which I thought was lame.
Overall I really liked the book and would recommend it to any Star Wars fan.
*This review was written by Barbara's 6th grade son.
On the frozen, desolate planet of Odacer-Faustin, an ancient Sith academy is under siege. The evil, diabolical Darth Scabrous has been abducting students and using them in experiments to create an eternal life elixir. The black Murakami orchid is the elixir's missing ingredient. A bounty hunter, Tulkh, locates the orchid at the Marfa Facility and captures the Jedi Hestizo "So" Trace who can communicate with the flower. They travel to Odacer-Faustin where Darth Scabrous uses the orchid to reanimate the dead. A contagion quickly spreads throughout the Sith academy, transforming the students into ravenous zombies capable of intelligent, coordinated planning. Only So's Jedi brother, Rojo Trace, can rescue her.
Joe Schreiber, best-selling author of "Death Troopers," brings us another horrifying thriller set in the Star Wars universe. "Red Harvest" is a gory, fast-paced nightmare that is just as suspenseful and terrifying as its predecessor. Schreiber's fascination with zombies continues in "Red Harvest." Whereas "Death Troopers" was set on a prison ship, this one is set in an academy for training Sith students. Both involve experimentations gone awry. Everyone wants to live forever and the amoral, Hitler-like Darth Scabrous is no exception. His experiments to create an elixir for eternal life have disastrous consequences.
The zombies found in "Red Harvest" reminded me of those in the horror classic "The Evil Dead," starring Bruce Campbell, and George Romero's "Land of the Dead." They are very difficult to destroy. Cut them up in little pieces and the pieces continue to move. There is one scene where a zombie throws its own severed head at a student dangling from the ceiling. It is best to shred and burn them. Also, the "Red Harvest" zombies are quite clever; they can think and plan strategies. They sometimes lay in wait to ambush their victims. Also, the zombies, like the pod people of "Invasion of the Body Snatchers" (1978), love to scream when they encounter an uninfected human. As in "Resident Evil," the Sickness affects the animals as well.
In "Red Harvest," the virus becomes a character referred to as the Sickness. This is due to its primary ingredient, the Murakami orchid, which has the ability to communicate, especially with the Jedi So Trace. Another plant creature in this science fiction horror novel is the talking, moving tree, Dail'Liss, who is the ancient librarian. Other strange creatures include the tall, furry creature with the walrus tusks, Tulkh the Whiphid, who is a bounty hunter. There are also huge snow lizards, the tauntaun, which are used as beasts of burden, and flesh-eating bolski beetles, which Tulkh uses to strip away the flesh from trophy skins.
I didn't feel much sympathy for the Sith students; they are a paranoid, selfish, evil lot who look out for themselves. For example, one student purposely wounds another so that the zombies will attack him first while they make their escape. Whereas, the Jedi knights, So and Rojo Trace, are the actual heroes. They fight not only to save themselves but the lives of strangers. And they conduct much hand-to-hand combat with their light sabers. There is much reliance on the Force by both the Jedi knights and the Sith students. Some use it for evil and others use it for good. "Red Harvest" boils down to the classic theme of good versus evil.
The setting for "Red Harvest" is spooky and gloomy. It provokes feelings of isolation and despair. The Sith academy is an ancient, crumbling structure with a Satanic history of human sacrifice. It is located on Odacer-Faustin, a desolate, frozen planet where few can survive on their own. The students are virtually trapped there. A frozen setting is very popular among horror films such as "Dead of Winter," "Wind Chill" and "Cold Prey." However, while reading "Red Harvest," I kept thinking of John Carpenter's science fiction horror classic "The Thing."
Joe Schreiber`s "Red Harvest" is a must read for fans of horror novels, especially ones with zombies. Combine intelligent zombies with a frozen wasteland and Star Wars characters and you have the ingredients for a best-selling science fiction horror novel. Schreiber has also relied heavily upon nostalgic elements of 1980s horror films to create a gory, slick rollercoaster ride that will chill and thrill many. Some may even puke. Another one of his bizarre horror novels which I highly recommend for its spooky, atmospheric setting is "No Doors, No Windows." Soon after reading this one, I became a devout fan of Joe Schreiber`s novels.
Joseph B. Hoyos
Joe Schreiber, best-selling author of "Death Troopers," brings us another horrifying thriller set in the Star Wars universe. "Red Harvest" is a gory, fast-paced nightmare that is just as suspenseful and terrifying as its predecessor. Schreiber's fascination with zombies continues in "Red Harvest." Whereas "Death Troopers" was set on a prison ship, this one is set in an academy for training Sith students. Both involve experimentations gone awry. Everyone wants to live forever and the amoral, Hitler-like Darth Scabrous is no exception. His experiments to create an elixir for eternal life have disastrous consequences.
The zombies found in "Red Harvest" reminded me of those in the horror classic "The Evil Dead," starring Bruce Campbell, and George Romero's "Land of the Dead." They are very difficult to destroy. Cut them up in little pieces and the pieces continue to move. There is one scene where a zombie throws its own severed head at a student dangling from the ceiling. It is best to shred and burn them. Also, the "Red Harvest" zombies are quite clever; they can think and plan strategies. They sometimes lay in wait to ambush their victims. Also, the zombies, like the pod people of "Invasion of the Body Snatchers" (1978), love to scream when they encounter an uninfected human. As in "Resident Evil," the Sickness affects the animals as well.
In "Red Harvest," the virus becomes a character referred to as the Sickness. This is due to its primary ingredient, the Murakami orchid, which has the ability to communicate, especially with the Jedi So Trace. Another plant creature in this science fiction horror novel is the talking, moving tree, Dail'Liss, who is the ancient librarian. Other strange creatures include the tall, furry creature with the walrus tusks, Tulkh the Whiphid, who is a bounty hunter. There are also huge snow lizards, the tauntaun, which are used as beasts of burden, and flesh-eating bolski beetles, which Tulkh uses to strip away the flesh from trophy skins.
I didn't feel much sympathy for the Sith students; they are a paranoid, selfish, evil lot who look out for themselves. For example, one student purposely wounds another so that the zombies will attack him first while they make their escape. Whereas, the Jedi knights, So and Rojo Trace, are the actual heroes. They fight not only to save themselves but the lives of strangers. And they conduct much hand-to-hand combat with their light sabers. There is much reliance on the Force by both the Jedi knights and the Sith students. Some use it for evil and others use it for good. "Red Harvest" boils down to the classic theme of good versus evil.
The setting for "Red Harvest" is spooky and gloomy. It provokes feelings of isolation and despair. The Sith academy is an ancient, crumbling structure with a Satanic history of human sacrifice. It is located on Odacer-Faustin, a desolate, frozen planet where few can survive on their own. The students are virtually trapped there. A frozen setting is very popular among horror films such as "Dead of Winter," "Wind Chill" and "Cold Prey." However, while reading "Red Harvest," I kept thinking of John Carpenter's science fiction horror classic "The Thing."
Joe Schreiber`s "Red Harvest" is a must read for fans of horror novels, especially ones with zombies. Combine intelligent zombies with a frozen wasteland and Star Wars characters and you have the ingredients for a best-selling science fiction horror novel. Schreiber has also relied heavily upon nostalgic elements of 1980s horror films to create a gory, slick rollercoaster ride that will chill and thrill many. Some may even puke. Another one of his bizarre horror novels which I highly recommend for its spooky, atmospheric setting is "No Doors, No Windows." Soon after reading this one, I became a devout fan of Joe Schreiber`s novels.
Joseph B. Hoyos
First of all, I wished that the descriptions of blood and gore were toned down. Second, I felt that the story needed a better epilogue, one that helped it tie in with "Death Troopers". Maybe, thousands of years after the events of "Red Harvest", Darth Vader(or-even better-Starkiller!)found Darth Drear's holocron in the ruins on Odacer-Faustin and that would explain the Blackwing plague.
I also wished that Mr. Schreiber did a better job tying this story with the new "The Old Republic" storyline, other than the brief mention of "The Sacking Of Coruscant". (P.S. Hetzio should have said she was going to the Jedi Temple on TYTHON, because the Temple on Coruscant was gone by the time of this story.)
I also wished that Mr. Schreiber did a better job tying this story with the new "The Old Republic" storyline, other than the brief mention of "The Sacking Of Coruscant". (P.S. Hetzio should have said she was going to the Jedi Temple on TYTHON, because the Temple on Coruscant was gone by the time of this story.)
Brainless Isn't Just For Zombies
In A Few Words: Disappointing in almost every way, the only thing scary about Joe Schreiber's Red Harvest is the fact that a major house considered it publishable.
Pros:
-It's only 241 pages.
Cons:
-Arguably unedited
-Repetitive plot ignores all of the inherent potential in the setup
-Entire plot threads do nothing but detract from the story
The Review: Brainless. Stumbling. Grotesque. Unrelenting. It's doubtful that Joe Schreiber was trying to be "meta" in writing his latest novel. At the same time, it's hard to ignore the similarities between Red Harvest and the single-minded zombie hordes contained within. The recipe behind Red Harvest is a standard one: an unexpected outbreak of an unknown pathogen results in a zombie menace from which the uninfected must escape. Yet even with the variety of spices found in Lucas's far, far away galaxy, it's about as palatable as a plateful of raw gray matter.
And it's certainly not the extra flavor that ruins the dish. Star Wars tie-in fiction has never claimed to be high art. Intended to sell first and entertain second, critical acclaim might not even be on the list of priorities. But even with lowered expectations, Red Harvest marks a new nadir for a franchise that has been slowly declining for over a decade.
Essentially, Schreiber's latest boils down to a repetitive sequence linked together more tenuously than the entrails of one of his victims. Wasting no time on character development, Schreiber quickly assembles his cast of paper-thin characters - Hestizo Trace (Jedi Botanist), Rojo Trace (Jedi brother and Liam Neeson wannabe), the Black Orchid (talking plant) and Darth Scabrous (generic bad guy) - before throwing them into the plot. After a brief setup and a little Force magic to introduce the zombie threat, Schreiber's writing soon devolves into little more than copy-and-paste carnage. The zombies surprise, attack, get "killed", are presumed dead, surprise again, infect someone, and are finally dismembered or eluded. It's splatterpunk at it's most gratuitous and it fails even at that.
The highest compliment I can pay to Red Harvest is that the first fifty or so pages are merely forgettable. Until page 53, on which Schreiber blatantly "borrows" [read "plagiarizes"] a key quote from 2009's action/revenge film Taken. Everything is downhill from there.
"Listen to me, Trace told him. I don't know who you are, but I am in possession of a very special set of skills. If you bring my sister back right now, unharmed, then I'll let you go. But if you don't, I promise you, I will track you down. I will find you. And I will make you pay." [pg. 53]
After this, it only gets harder to keep reading, and judging from the gradual decline in quality, the assigned editor might agree. That is, if an editor actually touched the manuscript after the outline phase. Based on the sheer number of awkward metaphors and continuity screw-ups, I wouldn't be suprised if they hadn't. And these aren't minor fanboy nitpicks about the number of fingers a particular alien has or the way that a character's motivation contradicts a single line of movie dialogue. These are blatant errors, the "Wait...What?" lines that force you to reread prose that in no way deserves it. At one point, a character slits his wrists in one scene and is alive and well in the next. At another, Schreiber apparently forgets which character bit another, temporarily reversing the vector/victim relationship. Maybe the editor assumed that he understood resuming a plot thread where it left off isn't optional, but Schreiber apparently likes to push the boundaries of what is considered acceptable narrative.
Even as egregious as these "hard" errors are, they are almost welcome in comparison to the softer ones; those of story direction, pacing and thematic structure. It should be simple - a lone Jedi Knight has to stay alive in the midst of a bloody battle between cut-throat Sith and bite-throat Zombies, relying on her wits and the self-interested nature of evil to survive. By turning them against each other, she just may escape the planet alive, possibly in the company of a redeemed soul or two. Throw in a few meditations on the corrupting nature of evil and power and a handful of unique set pieces and you should have a winner. Instead, the Sith students are written like Slytherin drop-outs, turning a batch of potential adversaries into a cadre of whining red shirts. Instead of a dynamic conflict that changes with the ratio of Sith to Zombies, Schreiber gives us the same encounter again and again with no direction or distinction.
Schreiber also missteps with the inclusion of the entire Rojo Trace subplot. Even without the unforgivable Taken reference, his character contributes little to the book and if anything detracts from his sister's character by implying that she is incapable of saving herself. Gender politics aside, his role is completely superfluous as further evidenced by the illogically rapid pace with which he moves through his portion of the story. In not quite three pages, Rojo manages to connect the dots between footage of getaway vehicle and the identity of the bounty hunter, the Sith Lord who hired him and the location of the Sith Academy through a sequence of coincidences that would leave the cast of CSI rolling their eyes. It's like an outline with transitions and there is no reason why Rojo wasn't red penned out of narrative existence.
The only fathomable excuse is that at a mere 241 pages, the editor couldn't cut anything and still justify the [...] price tag on the jacket. Or even worse, the manuscript was turned in at 400 pages and what went to print was the "good" stuff. Either way, the end result is pure and utter drek and the reason why tie-in fiction has the reputation it does today.
The scariest thing about Red Harvest? The fact that it sold enough copies to get on the New York Times Bestseller List.
Pros:
-It's only 241 pages.
Cons:
-Arguably unedited
-Repetitive plot ignores all of the inherent potential in the setup
-Entire plot threads do nothing but detract from the story
The Review: Brainless. Stumbling. Grotesque. Unrelenting. It's doubtful that Joe Schreiber was trying to be "meta" in writing his latest novel. At the same time, it's hard to ignore the similarities between Red Harvest and the single-minded zombie hordes contained within. The recipe behind Red Harvest is a standard one: an unexpected outbreak of an unknown pathogen results in a zombie menace from which the uninfected must escape. Yet even with the variety of spices found in Lucas's far, far away galaxy, it's about as palatable as a plateful of raw gray matter.
And it's certainly not the extra flavor that ruins the dish. Star Wars tie-in fiction has never claimed to be high art. Intended to sell first and entertain second, critical acclaim might not even be on the list of priorities. But even with lowered expectations, Red Harvest marks a new nadir for a franchise that has been slowly declining for over a decade.
Essentially, Schreiber's latest boils down to a repetitive sequence linked together more tenuously than the entrails of one of his victims. Wasting no time on character development, Schreiber quickly assembles his cast of paper-thin characters - Hestizo Trace (Jedi Botanist), Rojo Trace (Jedi brother and Liam Neeson wannabe), the Black Orchid (talking plant) and Darth Scabrous (generic bad guy) - before throwing them into the plot. After a brief setup and a little Force magic to introduce the zombie threat, Schreiber's writing soon devolves into little more than copy-and-paste carnage. The zombies surprise, attack, get "killed", are presumed dead, surprise again, infect someone, and are finally dismembered or eluded. It's splatterpunk at it's most gratuitous and it fails even at that.
The highest compliment I can pay to Red Harvest is that the first fifty or so pages are merely forgettable. Until page 53, on which Schreiber blatantly "borrows" [read "plagiarizes"] a key quote from 2009's action/revenge film Taken. Everything is downhill from there.
"Listen to me, Trace told him. I don't know who you are, but I am in possession of a very special set of skills. If you bring my sister back right now, unharmed, then I'll let you go. But if you don't, I promise you, I will track you down. I will find you. And I will make you pay." [pg. 53]
After this, it only gets harder to keep reading, and judging from the gradual decline in quality, the assigned editor might agree. That is, if an editor actually touched the manuscript after the outline phase. Based on the sheer number of awkward metaphors and continuity screw-ups, I wouldn't be suprised if they hadn't. And these aren't minor fanboy nitpicks about the number of fingers a particular alien has or the way that a character's motivation contradicts a single line of movie dialogue. These are blatant errors, the "Wait...What?" lines that force you to reread prose that in no way deserves it. At one point, a character slits his wrists in one scene and is alive and well in the next. At another, Schreiber apparently forgets which character bit another, temporarily reversing the vector/victim relationship. Maybe the editor assumed that he understood resuming a plot thread where it left off isn't optional, but Schreiber apparently likes to push the boundaries of what is considered acceptable narrative.
Even as egregious as these "hard" errors are, they are almost welcome in comparison to the softer ones; those of story direction, pacing and thematic structure. It should be simple - a lone Jedi Knight has to stay alive in the midst of a bloody battle between cut-throat Sith and bite-throat Zombies, relying on her wits and the self-interested nature of evil to survive. By turning them against each other, she just may escape the planet alive, possibly in the company of a redeemed soul or two. Throw in a few meditations on the corrupting nature of evil and power and a handful of unique set pieces and you should have a winner. Instead, the Sith students are written like Slytherin drop-outs, turning a batch of potential adversaries into a cadre of whining red shirts. Instead of a dynamic conflict that changes with the ratio of Sith to Zombies, Schreiber gives us the same encounter again and again with no direction or distinction.
Schreiber also missteps with the inclusion of the entire Rojo Trace subplot. Even without the unforgivable Taken reference, his character contributes little to the book and if anything detracts from his sister's character by implying that she is incapable of saving herself. Gender politics aside, his role is completely superfluous as further evidenced by the illogically rapid pace with which he moves through his portion of the story. In not quite three pages, Rojo manages to connect the dots between footage of getaway vehicle and the identity of the bounty hunter, the Sith Lord who hired him and the location of the Sith Academy through a sequence of coincidences that would leave the cast of CSI rolling their eyes. It's like an outline with transitions and there is no reason why Rojo wasn't red penned out of narrative existence.
The only fathomable excuse is that at a mere 241 pages, the editor couldn't cut anything and still justify the [...] price tag on the jacket. Or even worse, the manuscript was turned in at 400 pages and what went to print was the "good" stuff. Either way, the end result is pure and utter drek and the reason why tie-in fiction has the reputation it does today.
The scariest thing about Red Harvest? The fact that it sold enough copies to get on the New York Times Bestseller List.
(Has a Few Spoilers)I really had high hopes for this book. There aren't very many books out there that are specifically about the Sith. This book was really short and the story line wasn't really that great or thought out. The students at the Sith Academy that had been training there for years were killed by mindless zombies a little too easily. The whole talking flower that could bring people back from the dead and the talking " Sith Tree" that was the librarian at the Academy were some of its other weak points. It wasn't bad and it is nice to have a change in the Star Wars storyline every now and then. I did like the whole zombie twist in Death Troopers, but i wasn't impressed by this particular one. It's not one that i am likely to reread down the road.
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Also: one character is based on Liam Neeson's character from the film TAKEN. Its one thing to base it on a character, but another to rip it off. Its not a total ripoff, but its darn close and it kind of worries me that it was allowed. It didn't help that the character was one of the least fleshed, along with the villainous Sith Lord who should have been the focus of the story and instead was barely in it at all.
If you like Star Wars and mindless zombie horror though, there is plenty to love. I just wouldn't recommend buying it until it is available in paperback. The story and page count are not worth what you pay for the hardcover.