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"The penultimate volume of the
Galaxy of Fear series sees the Arrandas journey to Dantooine in their efforts to evade the Empire.
This book contains within it one of the most exciting concepts in the series: a young, untrained Force-sensitive who is tempted/confronted by the Dark Side. This angle is a really fantastic one, with echoes of a young Luke Skywalker tempted by the Dark Side, except Tash is a lot younger and more vulnerable. The way that Tash deals with the difficulties is absorbing and the backdrop for her internal struggle - the eponymous clones - is similarly fascinating. We are treated to a showdown between two Darth Vader's (as is hinted on the cover) as well as an (albeit brief) altercation between a pair of Shi'ido - this small scene alone is an incredible moment in the EU.
As for the down side, the story's pacing is a little slow again and there was a distinct lack of "fear" in this book. To be fair, none of them are particularly scary, but this one felt less like a horror story than any of the others; this could be due to the influence of the prequel films and the exposure of cloning technology to the EU audience. In addition, the Arranda children continue their irritating habit of jumping to conclusions - you'd think that after all they'd been through, they'd be a little less naïve and made more informed decisions.
Generally a strong book, which raises hopes for a good finale to the series."
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