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Review by Bones, UK, 2011:
"True Colours, the third volume in the Republic Commando series, is a monster of a book. It has five main plot lines, all of which interact with one another at some point, and yet none of them are actually the focus of the book.
"There are many things that happen in True Colours: Skirata et al. hunt Kaminoan geneticist Ko Sai; Delta Squad do the same; Etain monitors the evacuation of Qiilura; Besany uncovers sinister shadows of the true nature of the war; Omega Squad track a rogue ARC and assist with a coup of Gaftikar. With all of this incredibly detailed and well-manoeuvred action going on, it is humbling to realise that all of it is merely a vessel for the book’s over-arching purpose. Traviss does what she does best in allowing her characters to voice their thoughts and opinions about a variety of different things. In doing so, she creates such well-rounded characters, all of whom see the war from a slightly different perspective, yet all with a common grounding in their interaction with the clone soldiers. We see both Omega and Delta Squads in Darman and Sev, allowing a deeper comparison of the two. We see relationships growing through Etain, Besany and Ordo. We see an intense juxtaposition of Skirata and Vau – two men who differ in opinion on so many things, yet who both care a great deal about the soldiers that they trained. The point of this book is to look at allegiance and priority – the “true colours” of the title. During the course of the book, the seven PoV characters, as well as several others, reveal something of their loyalty to a variety of different causes, whether political, scientific, personal or just plain humanitarian.
"As previously stated, the plot of the book is not the main element, but that doesn’t stop it from being, quite simply, astounding. The complexity of the events, coupled with some stunningly shocking moments in the second half, make it a thrilling reading experience.
"The only apparent flaw with this book is that it doesn’t work well as a stand-alone novel. It would be very difficult to appreciate it fully without having read the previous two novels, and it certainly doesn’t provide any sort of definite ending, with the events continually pointing to the ominous future that all Star Wars fans know is coming.
"There is so much going on in this book – so much to find and savour – that it makes for truly compulsive reading. Just make sure you’ve read its predecessors first."
Rating: 5 / 5