Rating: 
Summary: This is a much stronger story as a novel
Review: "Attack of the Clones" is the novelization of the film of the same title. This is Episode Two in the Star Wars universe. In writing this novel, R.A. Salvatore had access to the film's screenplay before the movie was ever released (and perhaps even before some scenes had been filmed). This means that scenes in the novel are likely to be identical (down to the dialogue) to what we see on screen. This is the responsibility of the author, to be extremely faithful to the source material. The opportunity that a novel provides the author is giving us additional scenes that were not in the movie, but may help give a broader picture of the story and helps flesh out the characters and their motivations a bit better. "Attack of the Clones" is a stronger adaptation because of this. After an assassination attempt on her life, Senator Padme Amidala is put into the protection of the Jedi Obi-Wan Kenobi and his Padawan Anakin Skywalker. Padme is the strongest voice against creating a Republic Army and her death could lead the way to the creation of that army. The attempts on her life continue and Obi-Wan and Anakin now have to split up. Obi-Wan tracks a bounty hunter to a planet that has been removed from the Jedi Archives. Anakin is still assigned as Padme's protector and is to take her to her home planet of Naboo. Anakin still harbors a deep love for Padme that has only grown as the years have gone by. This is a much better adaptation than Terry Brooks' offering of "The Phantom Menace". Salvatore was able to take the weak dialogue of George Lucas and work it so that on the printed page the dialogue felt smoother and less forced. His additional scenes were absolutely pivotal and added emotional weight to the novel and made Anakin's pain (and love) more real. It did the same for Padme, which was sorely lacking in the film. This was a worthwhile adaptation and even made me interested in taking a look at Salvatore's other work.
Rating:
Summary: Well-rendered novelization
Review: "You'll be the death of me," Jedi Master Obi-Wan Kenobi tells his Padawan learner, 20-year-old Anakin Skywalker, at one point during both film and novelization. There's much that foreshadows what we readers and movie-goers already know about the characters' future, as this second installment of the first Star Wars trilogy plays out. It's a credit to all who contributed to the story, in both formats, that we can perceive those indicators of what's coming later while still feeling suspense about what will happen next. We know Anakin, the wistful and gifted little slave boy of The Phantom Menace, will wind up as Darth Vader. What we find out - or at least begin to find out - in Episode II, is how he got there.
The flawed hero. The woman whose love can't save him, and may even play a part in his downfall. The heroic mentor, and the epic struggle of a once idealistic but now corrupt old order against the rise of a dictatorial new one. This is the stuff of classic tragedy, and the author does a good job of taking us inside the heads of the characters.
Rating: 
Summary: Will always be a Star Wars fan, but do have a few compliants
Review: First of all, I will read just about anything SW,but so far have not been overly impressed with Mr. Salvatore's work. Ifeel as though I'm reading a children's book with adult topics. Jude Watson writes young reader books that are perfectly readable for adults. Please let Timothy Zahn write EpIII or anything else for SW. I enjoyed the new info on all the characters, but didn't feel as though I got more understanding of their thoughts from the book than the movie like I usually do. After seeing the movie I was so excited to read the book, but was disapointed. I agree with other reviewers that Lucas etal. should pay attention to previous books. Obi'wan use to love flying,now he hates it? Part of the fun of SW is the continuity and "history". A good SW book should let us into the characters minds so we feel what they feel & understand their point of view. We don't have to understand everything that's going on - that's what makes for great cliffhangers. I also didn't like that all those Jedi were killed on Genosis, without letting us know who any of them were. I expected this in the movie, but thought the book would flesh this out more, so we would see how much of a loss the Jedi are taking. Overall, I liked the story line, but felt more heart was needed.
Rating: 
Summary: Not a supplement to the film -a substitute!
Review: I found R.A. Salvatore's "Attack of the Clones" (AOTC) to be an excellent read and far better than the corresponding movie. Salvatore widened and matured the plot. It has the detail, intelligence and beauty of language to make Episode II one of the best Star Wars stories, regardless of AOTC being perhaps the weakest movie in the series. In particular, I was captivated by the relationship between Padme and Anakin. Their issues of forbidden love, lust and commitment make AOTC the most `adult' of all Star Wars stories. For me, this dimension was my favorite aspect of the book. I was disappointed when these themes and situations were glossed over in the movie as a cinematic footnote. In addition, the writing style for AOTC is very psychological. In other words, the reader is often inside the the heads of the main characters. I found this experience tremendously rewarding. In the movie for example, a character may do something in a two second scene but in the book, a page of internal thought may accompany such an action. This beautifully executed technique creates serious character development on a level not possible to duplicate on the silver screen. I often hear people complain about the Episode II film and my response is always to recommend the book. It is by far my favorite Star Wars book and the best read that I've had in a very long time. Beyond a supplement to the film, this could be a substitute.
Rating:
Summary: Much more depth than the movie
Review: I really enjoyed this book, despite having seen the movie a few times already. The book provided a lot more information that there was in the movie. There was a lot more depth to both the plot and the characters, including a look at Shmi's life with the Lars family and her abduction by the Tusken Raiders, and the failed attempts to rescue her, also the love story between Annakin and Padme is developed much better so it actually seems they have a real basis for their feelings for each other. We also get to meet Padme's family and are able to see her much more as a person than just a political figure. These and a few others are the reasons to read the book. Everything else follows pretty directly with the movie, but there is enough extra information in the story to make the book well worth reading for Star Wars fans. I look foward to Episode III, both the book and movie.
Rating: 
Summary: Batting less than 1.000.....
Review: I think I've read just about everything Mr Salvatore has written. Demon Wars, Drizzt and Wulfgar, Vector Prime... Salvatore is simply amazing. His detail with weapons, fighting techiniques, strategies, character development, story telling. This guy CAN do it all. Terry Brooks did an excellent job with Episode I, he really made the movie/story enjoyable for me. I was so excited when I read that Salvatore would be writing what was to be potentially the darkest chapter of Star Wars.... ... then I read the book. I'm sorry, Bob, but this novel was terrible. You had a few good parts, but you rushed the entire 2nd half of the book. All of the fighting scenes, Force battles, military strategy... what happened? This was not Salvatore's normal writing style. I was very dissapointed with the Episode II novel.
Rating:
Summary: Star Wars Episode 2 Attack Of The Clones
Review: I was immensely disappointed after reading this book, considering the high hopes that I had achieved upon reading "The Phantom Menace" novelization by Terry Brooks.
The main reason for my disappointment concerns the lack of detail described within this books' pages. A previous reviewer, one who I wished I had read before purchasing this book, was correct when he described these writings as if the author typed away a direct translation of the movie while viewing it. In other words, whatever action was going on-screen was quickly typed down with no further input into the thoughts or reasons behind the actions, as if the time alloted to writing was the same to the time on each scene. This is extremely infuriating when one considers that a novelization of a movie is theoretically made to further enhance the universe of the movie, not just mimic it. There are no restrictions in what can be written down onto a blank page, as opposed to the limitations of being able to only see and hear a movie and having it be roughly two hours.
For example, one of the scenes that is most poignant in the movie that simply deserved to have more input allowed in the book is when Anakin confers with Palpatine in his chambers. I was hoping so much to have "deleted dialogue" included in this scene, or perhaps some reference into the mind of Anakin as to why he has so much respect for this man and vice versa with Palpatine, but none was given. In the book it was simply a play-by-play description of the movie scene, down to the curt dialogue and eventual cut to the next scene.
Another important scene is the final duel with Count Dooku. In Terry Brook's description of the final duel in "The Phantom Menace", we are given insights into the feelings and thoughts of the characters as they battle one another: Obi-Wan wondering for example why this duel is taking so long, or Qui-Gon's sudden rage after Darth Maul kicks Obi-Wan off the platform. The duel as told by Brooks is an impressive rehashing of the movie duel, but with so much more candid description it almost feels like you are inside the scene. Not so in the case of Salvatore's description of his final duel. It lasts pretty much all of 4 pages, the Anakin duel and the Yoda duel lasting about a meager 3 paragraphs each. So much could have been given into the insight of each important character's minds: Dooku's regal cockiness, Obi-Wan's feeling of being overwhelmed, Anakin's eager machismo, or Yoda's regretful revenge, yet nothing was presented except a direct translation of the movie. Much of this writing manner occurs throughout the rest of the novel.
I must reiterate that I was extremely disappointed with this novelization. This is one example here watching the movie might actually drive the viewer deeper into its universe than the book. The only reason for the 2 stars is the inevitable "deleted scenes" described in the novelization, something that saved this review from becoming a complete thrashing.
Rating:
Summary: Rushed But Decent
Review: I'm not going to give you a run-through of the plot. Plenty of other reviewers will do that, I'm sure, and before long the movie will be out and we'll all be very familiar with its narrative arc anyway. Instead, I want to give you my initial impressions of the book, as a reader and a writer and a long-time Star Wars fan. The first thing I noticed was that, on many levels, Attack Of the Clones is superior to the Phantom Menace novel. I'm not a fan of Terry Brooks (who wrote Epi 1), nor am I a fan of R.A. Salvatore (who wrote Epi 2), but at least R.A. Salvatore uses emphatic language and the occasional interesting description or turn of phrase. You'll soon notice the use of sentence fragments, for instance, when you read Attack Of the Clones. It gives the narrative a slight edge every now and then. The second thing I noticed, however, was that the book was rushed: both in writing it and in getting it on the shelves. There's a surprising number of typos, even for a first edition. There's one point in the first fifty pages where Salvatore uses the phrase "slowly and deliberately" almost a half-dozen times in the span of three pages. But I give the book lots of slack, because it was obviously produced under a tighter deadline than most other books. The third thing I noticed is that Attack Of the Clones is obviously written with the intention of selling it to children. This is well and good, I have no problem with it, but it does make for some less-than-subtle descriptions. Sometimes the narrative reminds me of a bulldozer. All in all, however, I enjoyed the read, the way one enjoys popcorn: light and fluffy. I read so much 'serious' writing that I genuinely enjoy the occasional foray into what might be dismissively termed 'kiddie stuff.' If you're unwilling to cut some slack as a reader, then you're better off not buying this book. But if you're looking for some fun and easy hours of reading, I think you'll enjoy it.
Rating:
Summary: An Action Packed Novelization!!!
Review: In "Attack of the Clones" R.A. Salvatore wrote an absolutely fantastic novelization based on the screenplay for the movie that was written by George Lucas and Johnathan Hales. This was not only the first Salvatore novel that I've ever read but it is also my first venture into the literary Star Wars universe. I was very pleased with the book that Salvatore has written and here's why. After an assasination attempt on Senator Padme Amidala of planet Naboo, young Jedi Padawan Anakin Skywalker is assigned to watch over her. He takes Amidala from Coruscant back to Naboo and they start to fall in love. Meanwhile, dark forces are brewing and the Separatists are gaining many new planets to their side every day. The Republic is looking at what may be the first war since it formed and an unknown Clone army is being made for them. It is Jedi Knight Obi-Wan Kenobi that finds out about this army as he searches for the person that tried to kill Senator Amidala. This is the basic plot of this amazing book. This book remains as true to the movie as a book can get but it also has a lot more backbone to the story that was never in the film. The characterisations are great, especially the one for Anakin Skywalker. There is a lot of foreshadowing as to how Anakin will make the drastic change that will happen in Episode 3. The other characterisations are fantastic as well and you feel as if each character is a real person that you know. Salvatore is a very good writer and I am glad that he was chosen to write this book. He is keen for detail so you will have everything that comes forth in the plot down to every last deatil in your head. He also does a great job of describing each of the planets and cities that are in the galaxy as well. This is a great read for somebody that has already seen the fantastic movie or somebody that is looking for a wonderful science fiction book. This novel will keep you riveted from page one and from there on you won't be able to stop reading. Because of this book I look forward to reading more books that take place in the Star Wars universe. This is a truly great read. Happy Reading!
Rating:
Summary: Doesn't tell you much beyond the movie
Review: Other than a few extra scenes featuring Shmi Skywalker and Padme with her family, this book doesn't go much beyond the movie. Maybe I wouldn't think this if I had read the book first. Then again, I have found that other Star Wars novelizations have given some added perspective to what you see on the big screen. The action sequences didn't translate that well onto text so without more in-depth characterization, I think the novel is lacking.
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