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Star Wars: The Jedi Academy Trilogy #1
La búsqueda del Jedi
TRILOGIA DE LA ACADEMIA JEDI
La guerra entre la República y los desperdigados restos del Imperio aún no ha terminado. Toda la galaxia se enfrenta continuamente a nuevos desafíos y posibles cambios en el delicado equilibrio de las fuerzas que luchan por su control.
En esta época de tumultos y descubrimientos, mientras dos niños -los gemelos Jedi- empiezan a tantear sus poderes, comienza una nueva y extraordinaria saga de la Guerra de las Galaxias:
LA BÚSQUEDA DEL JEDI
Luke Skywalker sabe que todos los logros de la Nueva República pueden derrumbarse en cualquier momento si no se logra reinstaurar la antigua orden de los Caballeros Jedi. Para ello, quiere convencer al Consejo de la necesidad de crear una Academia Jedi en la que educar a todos aquellos que puedan tener algo de talento en los caminos de la Fuerza.
Pero su proyecto debe posponerse ante la aparición de peligros mas inminentes. Han Solo y Chewbacca, que habían ido al planeta Kessel en una misión diplomática, han desaparecido. Lo que en principio parecía un trabajo rutinario se convierte en una sucesión de percances, cada uno más peligroso que el anterior, que culmina en el descubrimiento de un centro de investigación imperial en el que se prepara una terrible contraofensiva contra las fuerzas de la República.
Kevin J. Anderson es el artífice de este reencuentro con los personajes más populares de la pantalla grande. Una trilogía que nos ofrece nueva luz sobre los pormenores de la vida de los héroes de la Rebelión y, al mismo tiempo, otra aventura apasionante.
La guerra entre la República y los desperdigados restos del Imperio aún no ha terminado. Toda la galaxia se enfrenta continuamente a nuevos desafíos y posibles cambios en el delicado equilibrio de las fuerzas que luchan por su control.
En esta época de tumultos y descubrimientos, mientras dos niños -los gemelos Jedi- empiezan a tantear sus poderes, comienza una nueva y extraordinaria saga de la Guerra de las Galaxias:
LA BÚSQUEDA DEL JEDI
Luke Skywalker sabe que todos los logros de la Nueva República pueden derrumbarse en cualquier momento si no se logra reinstaurar la antigua orden de los Caballeros Jedi. Para ello, quiere convencer al Consejo de la necesidad de crear una Academia Jedi en la que educar a todos aquellos que puedan tener algo de talento en los caminos de la Fuerza.
Pero su proyecto debe posponerse ante la aparición de peligros mas inminentes. Han Solo y Chewbacca, que habían ido al planeta Kessel en una misión diplomática, han desaparecido. Lo que en principio parecía un trabajo rutinario se convierte en una sucesión de percances, cada uno más peligroso que el anterior, que culmina en el descubrimiento de un centro de investigación imperial en el que se prepara una terrible contraofensiva contra las fuerzas de la República.
Kevin J. Anderson es el artífice de este reencuentro con los personajes más populares de la pantalla grande. Una trilogía que nos ofrece nueva luz sobre los pormenores de la vida de los héroes de la Rebelión y, al mismo tiempo, otra aventura apasionante.
347 pages, Paperback
First published March 1, 1994
About the author
Kevin J. Anderson
926 books2,997 followersYes, I have a lot of books, and if this is your first visit to my amazon author page, it can be a little overwhelming. If you are new to my work, let me recommend a few titles as good places to start. I love my Dan Shamble, Zombie P.I. series, humorous horror/mysteries, which begin with DEATH WARMED OVER. My steampunk fantasy adventures, CLOCKWORK ANGELS and CLOCKWORK LIVES, written with Neil Peart, legendary drummer from Rush, are two of my very favorite novels ever. And my magnum opus, the science fiction epic The Saga of Seven Suns, begins with HIDDEN EMPIRE. After you've tried those, I hope you'll check out some of my other series.
I have written spin-off novels for Star Wars, StarCraft, Titan A.E., and The X-Files, and I'm the co-author of the Dune prequels. My original works include the Saga of Seven Suns series and the Nebula Award-nominated Assemblers of Infinity. I have also written several comic books including the Dark Horse Star Wars collection Tales of the Jedi written in collaboration with Tom Veitch, Predator titles (also for Dark Horse), and X-Files titles for Topps.
I serve as a judge in the Writers of the Future contest.
My wife is author Rebecca Moesta. We currently reside near Monument, Colorado.
I have written spin-off novels for Star Wars, StarCraft, Titan A.E., and The X-Files, and I'm the co-author of the Dune prequels. My original works include the Saga of Seven Suns series and the Nebula Award-nominated Assemblers of Infinity. I have also written several comic books including the Dark Horse Star Wars collection Tales of the Jedi written in collaboration with Tom Veitch, Predator titles (also for Dark Horse), and X-Files titles for Topps.
I serve as a judge in the Writers of the Future contest.
My wife is author Rebecca Moesta. We currently reside near Monument, Colorado.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 459 reviews
May 18, 2024
The Good: An old-school entry in the Star Wars Expanded Universe, this novel brings the action and heroism you've come to expect from the franchise. Kevin J. Anderson's writing is fabulous, and the story really took me to a galaxy far, far away. Though the ending wasn't a cliffhanger, I can't wait to see where the trilogy goes from here.
The Bad: Minor complaints: one or two profanities, too much advertising in the back, etc. All small potatoes when you consider how good this book was.
Conclusion: I was officially introduced to the Expanded Universe when I bought I, Jedi by Michael A. Stackpole at a local garage sale. Not only did it inspire me to read more Star Wars novels, it rejuvenated my love for reading, which I had lost years ago to television, movies, and video games. Though I've read the entire Jedi Academy trilogy at least twice before, I felt it deserved at least one more go...and I'm glad I gave it one.
The Bad: Minor complaints: one or two profanities, too much advertising in the back, etc. All small potatoes when you consider how good this book was.
Conclusion: I was officially introduced to the Expanded Universe when I bought I, Jedi by Michael A. Stackpole at a local garage sale. Not only did it inspire me to read more Star Wars novels, it rejuvenated my love for reading, which I had lost years ago to television, movies, and video games. Though I've read the entire Jedi Academy trilogy at least twice before, I felt it deserved at least one more go...and I'm glad I gave it one.
February 7, 2017
This was the first Star Wars expanded universe book I ever read, and as mediocre as it is, it's primarily responsible for my obsession with Star Wars (and the EU) throughout my last two years of high school. Simply by existing, it was awesome back then. There was MORE STORY after the movies. More OFFICIAL STORY. Now, though, I have higher standards. It was fun to revisit this book that I liked when I was sixteen, again, mostly because it existed, but nostalgia was really the only reason I had any fun reading it this second time around.
Jedi Search is the first book by Kevin J. Anderson, professional fanfic writer, in his Jedi Academy trilogy, which picks up after Timothy Zahn's much much much much better Thrawn trilogy. Ostensibly, it's about Luke taking charge and forming a new Jedi Academy, recruiting and searching for new Jedi across the galaxy to come to his new school and reboot the Jedi order. Of course, the situation is also complicated by the presence of the obligatory frustrated Remnant of the Defeated Empire character, who is much better served in the Thrawn trilogy than here. Here we've got Admiral Daala, a prodigy who's been sequestered in a top secret black hole cluster for ten years doing research for the Empire, and she and her installation have no idea what's been going on in the outside world. Then there's a third plot with Han and Chewie and Kessel that seems designed solely to bring in a key character, but it ends up feeling shoehorned in and coincidental. (Cool that we finally get to visit Kessel, though.) Meanwhile all this is happening, Leia is busy having a mental breakdown about Han and her children, all the while stuff seems to be falling apart.
My main frustration with KJA as a writer is that he's all ideas, no execution. He had all the bones of a fun Star Wars story here, but the way he writes it just ruins the whole thing. His dialogue is cheesy and not lifelike at all, his character work is disgraceful, and most of the time character actions occur because something needs to happen in the plot rather than because it's something that character would organically do. Many of the developments are insulting to me as a human person, as a Star Wars fan, and as a woman (most of these insults occur in the second two books). He also wastes SO MANY OPPORTUNITIES in his stories, and the way he develops his initially cool story falls flat, and yes, turns stupid. This book is the best of the series solely because all of that potential is still there, but by books two and three, it's piddled off, like a bad puppy on your favorite rug.
But even by the end of this book, you can see the potential dying. Let's break it down by the four plot points I mentioned above:
The supposed Jedi search: This book is supposed to feature Luke and Co. searching for Jedi, but there is basically none of that actually happening. Lando is wasted on the stupidest plot of all time, finding himself searching for a potential Jedi while attending Umgullian blob races. Yes, blob races. And the guy doesn't even turn out to be a Jedi. At least thirty pages full of a complete waste of time. Luke only finds three himself. And he doesn't even have to work very hard to do it. It's not satisfying on a story level at all. (Not to mention it's apparent while reading these scenes that KJA has no idea how to write Luke as a competent Jedi Master. His Luke can't even figure out how to sense life signs or take a quick walk across lava. It's horribly frustrating.) But bottom line: the book is called "Jedi Search," and approximately only 15% is spent doing that. But thanks for misleading me, I guess.
Admiral Daala and the Empire: Admiral Daala could have been such a good character. A woman admiral in a notoriously sexist institution like the Empire . . . that could have been good. A leader who has been out of the loop for ten years and the universe has moved on without her . . . could have been good. A sudden influx of Imperial troops and power revives the efforts of the dying Empire . . . could have been good. But none of it was. Daala's characterization was almost exclusively focused on her obsession with Grand Moff Tarkin, who was her mentor, and as she notes almost every time she remembers him, "her lover" as well. Which is icky in the book, and icky on the part of the author. Also, for a supposed military genius, Daala is a moron. She is not good at her job. Lastly, the idea of Maw Installation being hidden in the black hole cluster is good if you don't think about it, but doesn't hold up even remotely if you do. The time dilation from being near one black hole, let alone a cluster of them, would make every event in this book impossible. Lazy science is lazy.
Han/Chewie/Kessel: The Kessel stuff surprisingly delivers. We get Han and Chewie being captured by an old frenemy and forced to become slaves in the spice mines of Kessel, and upon escaping are forced into an even more terrifying situation in the black hole cluster. It's terrifying, and there be monsters down there. But it also seems like this entire story was developed solely so Han could meet Kyp Durron and bring him into the fold. It is HIGHLY coincidental that Han should meet one of the few Force-sensitive beings left in the universe just in time to bring him in to Luke's Jedi Academy. I suppose you could hand-wave that away by saying the Force works in mysterious ways, but Anderson doesn't even bother to do that! Lazy. (The bad guy at Kessel is gross, and not in a fun way, either. Like, raping women and eating his own children gross. Blurg.)
Leia and the Jedi twins: As for Leia, she gets the worst from KJA. He doesn't get her. At all. KJA's Leia is a nagging worrywart, whose achievements as a statesman are completely undercut by her unreasonable anger at Han for not being there when their twins return from their two year exile. This is dumb for two reasons: 1) KJA's insistence that Jedi children be isolated for the first two years of their lives is BULLSHIT. He pulled it out of his bum for dramatic purposes. It makes zero sense in the Star Wars universe. And 2) Leia would NOT be mad at Han for not being there, and she wouldn't be making comments all the time about him being unreliable and off to sow his wild oats. Those shouldn't even be issues in their marriage. Leia trusts Han. Han is dependable. Her first assumption should have been that something was wrong and to go looking for him, but KJA needed her in Coruscant, not off on a rescue mission, so instead she acts like a moron. The stuff where she deals with all the diplomatic stuff was harmless, but not exactly thrilling. It's mostly set-up for the next two books.
This first book was okay, but the second two devolve considerably, and aren't worth your time. Seriously, don't bother reading this series unless you are a EU completist. If you're reading it for nostalgia purposes, you'll just be disappointed. There are so many other books, so many other Star Wars books specifically, that you would do better to spend your time on.
[First read, January 2001]
Jedi Search is the first book by Kevin J. Anderson, professional fanfic writer, in his Jedi Academy trilogy, which picks up after Timothy Zahn's much much much much better Thrawn trilogy. Ostensibly, it's about Luke taking charge and forming a new Jedi Academy, recruiting and searching for new Jedi across the galaxy to come to his new school and reboot the Jedi order. Of course, the situation is also complicated by the presence of the obligatory frustrated Remnant of the Defeated Empire character, who is much better served in the Thrawn trilogy than here. Here we've got Admiral Daala, a prodigy who's been sequestered in a top secret black hole cluster for ten years doing research for the Empire, and she and her installation have no idea what's been going on in the outside world. Then there's a third plot with Han and Chewie and Kessel that seems designed solely to bring in a key character, but it ends up feeling shoehorned in and coincidental. (Cool that we finally get to visit Kessel, though.) Meanwhile all this is happening, Leia is busy having a mental breakdown about Han and her children, all the while stuff seems to be falling apart.
My main frustration with KJA as a writer is that he's all ideas, no execution. He had all the bones of a fun Star Wars story here, but the way he writes it just ruins the whole thing. His dialogue is cheesy and not lifelike at all, his character work is disgraceful, and most of the time character actions occur because something needs to happen in the plot rather than because it's something that character would organically do. Many of the developments are insulting to me as a human person, as a Star Wars fan, and as a woman (most of these insults occur in the second two books). He also wastes SO MANY OPPORTUNITIES in his stories, and the way he develops his initially cool story falls flat, and yes, turns stupid. This book is the best of the series solely because all of that potential is still there, but by books two and three, it's piddled off, like a bad puppy on your favorite rug.
But even by the end of this book, you can see the potential dying. Let's break it down by the four plot points I mentioned above:
The supposed Jedi search: This book is supposed to feature Luke and Co. searching for Jedi, but there is basically none of that actually happening. Lando is wasted on the stupidest plot of all time, finding himself searching for a potential Jedi while attending Umgullian blob races. Yes, blob races. And the guy doesn't even turn out to be a Jedi. At least thirty pages full of a complete waste of time. Luke only finds three himself. And he doesn't even have to work very hard to do it. It's not satisfying on a story level at all. (Not to mention it's apparent while reading these scenes that KJA has no idea how to write Luke as a competent Jedi Master. His Luke can't even figure out how to sense life signs or take a quick walk across lava. It's horribly frustrating.) But bottom line: the book is called "Jedi Search," and approximately only 15% is spent doing that. But thanks for misleading me, I guess.
Admiral Daala and the Empire: Admiral Daala could have been such a good character. A woman admiral in a notoriously sexist institution like the Empire . . . that could have been good. A leader who has been out of the loop for ten years and the universe has moved on without her . . . could have been good. A sudden influx of Imperial troops and power revives the efforts of the dying Empire . . . could have been good. But none of it was. Daala's characterization was almost exclusively focused on her obsession with Grand Moff Tarkin, who was her mentor, and as she notes almost every time she remembers him, "her lover" as well. Which is icky in the book, and icky on the part of the author. Also, for a supposed military genius, Daala is a moron. She is not good at her job. Lastly, the idea of Maw Installation being hidden in the black hole cluster is good if you don't think about it, but doesn't hold up even remotely if you do. The time dilation from being near one black hole, let alone a cluster of them, would make every event in this book impossible. Lazy science is lazy.
Han/Chewie/Kessel: The Kessel stuff surprisingly delivers. We get Han and Chewie being captured by an old frenemy and forced to become slaves in the spice mines of Kessel, and upon escaping are forced into an even more terrifying situation in the black hole cluster. It's terrifying, and there be monsters down there. But it also seems like this entire story was developed solely so Han could meet Kyp Durron and bring him into the fold. It is HIGHLY coincidental that Han should meet one of the few Force-sensitive beings left in the universe just in time to bring him in to Luke's Jedi Academy. I suppose you could hand-wave that away by saying the Force works in mysterious ways, but Anderson doesn't even bother to do that! Lazy. (The bad guy at Kessel is gross, and not in a fun way, either. Like, raping women and eating his own children gross. Blurg.)
Leia and the Jedi twins: As for Leia, she gets the worst from KJA. He doesn't get her. At all. KJA's Leia is a nagging worrywart, whose achievements as a statesman are completely undercut by her unreasonable anger at Han for not being there when their twins return from their two year exile. This is dumb for two reasons: 1) KJA's insistence that Jedi children be isolated for the first two years of their lives is BULLSHIT. He pulled it out of his bum for dramatic purposes. It makes zero sense in the Star Wars universe. And 2) Leia would NOT be mad at Han for not being there, and she wouldn't be making comments all the time about him being unreliable and off to sow his wild oats. Those shouldn't even be issues in their marriage. Leia trusts Han. Han is dependable. Her first assumption should have been that something was wrong and to go looking for him, but KJA needed her in Coruscant, not off on a rescue mission, so instead she acts like a moron. The stuff where she deals with all the diplomatic stuff was harmless, but not exactly thrilling. It's mostly set-up for the next two books.
This first book was okay, but the second two devolve considerably, and aren't worth your time. Seriously, don't bother reading this series unless you are a EU completist. If you're reading it for nostalgia purposes, you'll just be disappointed. There are so many other books, so many other Star Wars books specifically, that you would do better to spend your time on.
[First read, January 2001]
July 9, 2007
Painful, painful, painful. I was smack in the middle of a revival of my love of Star Wars thanks to Timothy Zahn's Thrawn Trilogy. I wanted more, had to have it, so I quickly snapped up these from my local bookseller. The smile on my face soon faded as I waded through the first book. None of the characters sounded like I imagined them...they said things they wouldn't say, did things that I KNEW they wouldn't do. The worst offenses were against characters that Zahn had created...KJA's interpretation of Senator Bel Iblis was horrid, and Mara Jade with Lando? Lame. The added subplots were, well lame. Lame is probably the best word to describe every original though KJA tried to shoehorn in.
August 20, 2023
4.75 stars
October 14, 2010
It was on page 15 of this book that I realized that this simply would not be a book I enjoyed reading:
"During the previous year of violent strife, Luke had been whisked away to the resurrected Emperor's stronghold in the galactic core, and there he had allowed himself to learn the dark side. He had become the Emperor's chief lieutenant, just like his father, Darth Vader."
You see I really enjoyed the Star Wars movies of my childhood, and also really enjoyed Timothy Zahn's Trilogy of books that began with Heir to the Empire. I wanted an expansion of that Universe, and I thought Zahn delivered because he crafted a trilogy of books that was true to the movies and true to the characters. What I did not want was a series of books that took the characters in a direction I did not wish to see them go, and Luke joining a resurrected Emperor was just to hokey for me.
I kept reading for awhile, but eventually had to put this book down, and made the realization that The Jedi Academy Trilogy would simply not be more me.
When it comes to further reading in the Star Wars expanded Universe, I believe I'll read the rest of Zahn's output and call it a day.
"During the previous year of violent strife, Luke had been whisked away to the resurrected Emperor's stronghold in the galactic core, and there he had allowed himself to learn the dark side. He had become the Emperor's chief lieutenant, just like his father, Darth Vader."
You see I really enjoyed the Star Wars movies of my childhood, and also really enjoyed Timothy Zahn's Trilogy of books that began with Heir to the Empire. I wanted an expansion of that Universe, and I thought Zahn delivered because he crafted a trilogy of books that was true to the movies and true to the characters. What I did not want was a series of books that took the characters in a direction I did not wish to see them go, and Luke joining a resurrected Emperor was just to hokey for me.
I kept reading for awhile, but eventually had to put this book down, and made the realization that The Jedi Academy Trilogy would simply not be more me.
When it comes to further reading in the Star Wars expanded Universe, I believe I'll read the rest of Zahn's output and call it a day.
October 9, 2014
Kevin J Anderson is given the chance to contribute to one of the biggest and most beloved science fiction universes ever created, and he comes up with blob races. A significant portion of the book is dedicated to blobs. Racing. More impressively, the entire blob subplot ends up amounting to nothing more than Lando Calrissian on vacation. The entire section could be removed without affecting the plot of the novel. This is probably the worst of several uninspired decisions made in this book.
Despite this, several important characters are introduced in this novel, along with the Maw Installation, the most interesting plotline of the story. Hopefully this is only a poor introduction and the rest of the trilogy will be more entertaining.
Despite this, several important characters are introduced in this novel, along with the Maw Installation, the most interesting plotline of the story. Hopefully this is only a poor introduction and the rest of the trilogy will be more entertaining.
July 16, 2010
Han and Chewie are out to Kessell to win its support for the New Republic after the events of Dark Empire I (Star Wars) (I haven't actually read that comic, but I've heard a lot about it). Unfortunately, Moruth Doole has no intentions of joining and sends Han and Chewie into the spice mines, where they meet the Force sensitive, Kyp Durron. Meanwhile, Leia holds things together on Coruscant, worrying for her husband, and Luke begins his Jedi Search, finding two candidates, Gantoris and Streen.
I Liked:
Kevin J. Anderson is often castigated for his Star Wars entries, but I honestly don't see why. No, his books aren't like Zahn's, but they are still "Star Wars". Unlike my experience with Star Wars: The Truce at Bakura v. 4, I felt Anderson really got the feel of Star Wars down. The settings feel right, the characters are pretty good, and the events as well.
While the mission is kinda goofy, it is interesting to see Kessell and its place in the universe. Also, I enjoyed seeing Luke go out to find new Jedi candidates. It's really cool to see the rise of the new Jedi (especially with the knowledge of the prequels, something I didn't have when I read the book many years ago). And I can sorta stretch my imagination to believe that a Maw Installation would have been created for the super-secret construction that occurs.
The main characters are done well enough that I don't question them. Han and Chewie play a large role, and they are done well. Luke is, likewise, well done. As for minor characters, Kyp Durron is really interesting. I can see how he is almost a Luke/Han clone. It's neat, particularly knowing where he ends up in the New Jedi Order. Admiral Daala is also interesting.
I Didn't Like:
I am not sure why Kessell is such a big deal. It almost seems like a place that the New Republic would want to break down, like a drug lab, instead of ally with. And the sleazy alien who runs it...and the "scarecrow" (not a big Batman fan, but all I could think of was Crane!). Uh huh, let's ally with seedy characters. Really gives the New Republic legitimacy, eh?
The Maw Installation was interesting, but I still have no idea WHY they had to keep so quiet for so long. Weren't they wondering after a year or two why Tarkin hadn't called? Would it have been so hard to peek out and transmit a "Hey, what's up?" And the Maw Installation being so secretive that even Palpatine didn't know? Ha, got me laughing in stitches over that one.
Leia doesn't do much of anything other than wangst at home about Han being gone. She vacillates between worry and being mad (that he is "off" gambling). Then, she is shy about asking Lando and Luke to look into it. Out. Of. Character. Leia from the trilogy or from the Thrawn Trilogy would have no problem with it. In fact, she'd probably be leading the expedition. Since her kids are dumped off with Winter on the "hidden planet" and she can conveniently leave her job when the plot requires it...
Luke Skywalker is too powerful. There is a difference between a Jedi who can hold his own and a Jedi that can do everything. Look at Yoda. The guy walked around with a cane (or on a hoverchair). He wasn't perfect. He didn't smash everyone to bits. But if Luke were him, he would be using the Force to walk upside down or something crazy.
And then, his complete ignorance of Gantoris' Dark Side. For someone as powerful as Luke, he should be like, "Uh, warning! Warning!" But no, that would get rid of the story before it had even begun.
Qui Xux is the. Worst. Character. Ever. I despise her. I can't believe she exists. She is too stupid to live. Every single myth about scientists or doctors or people with intelligence is exploited in her. She is gorgeous, but also naive beyond belief. The Death Star was a mining tool? Uh, take a look at the name, girlfriend. That should be a clue. The World Devastators a roving mining colony? Girl, you need to get out more. I hadn't really liked her the first time I read, and time has definitely NOT made me more sympathetic to her. Lock her up and throw away the key.
Stereotypes like "sleazy" Twi'Leks that are only involved in crime crop up. That really torques me.
Lando's mission with the blob races is completely irrelevant and tossed in to make sure all the big guys from the movie appear. Yawn.
As for the audiobook, large chunks of Daala's history disappear (such as her affair with Tarkin) and Leia's contribution disappear (I believe there were more parts with her on Coruscant besides whining about Han). Also, the reader pronounces words incorrectly. "Bes-pin" not "Bee-spin" and "Cor-u-sant" not "Cor-u-skant". It was grating after a while.
Dialog/Sexual Situations/Violence:
A few stray d*** and h***.
Qui Xux is goregous. Of. Course.
Han, Chewie, and Kyp fight their way out of the spice mines of Kessell. The people of Eol Sha have to be moved because their planet is destroying itself.
Overall:
I know I complained a lot, but the story actually isn't too bad. It's a nice Star Wars romp. I liked Han and Chewie in the spice mines (well, not being there, but their adventure there) and Luke's "Jedi Search" was pretty darn cool. No, it's not brilliant, but it was enjoyable. Read it if you are bored or have to complete the whole series.
I Liked:
Kevin J. Anderson is often castigated for his Star Wars entries, but I honestly don't see why. No, his books aren't like Zahn's, but they are still "Star Wars". Unlike my experience with Star Wars: The Truce at Bakura v. 4, I felt Anderson really got the feel of Star Wars down. The settings feel right, the characters are pretty good, and the events as well.
While the mission is kinda goofy, it is interesting to see Kessell and its place in the universe. Also, I enjoyed seeing Luke go out to find new Jedi candidates. It's really cool to see the rise of the new Jedi (especially with the knowledge of the prequels, something I didn't have when I read the book many years ago). And I can sorta stretch my imagination to believe that a Maw Installation would have been created for the super-secret construction that occurs.
The main characters are done well enough that I don't question them. Han and Chewie play a large role, and they are done well. Luke is, likewise, well done. As for minor characters, Kyp Durron is really interesting. I can see how he is almost a Luke/Han clone. It's neat, particularly knowing where he ends up in the New Jedi Order. Admiral Daala is also interesting.
I Didn't Like:
I am not sure why Kessell is such a big deal. It almost seems like a place that the New Republic would want to break down, like a drug lab, instead of ally with. And the sleazy alien who runs it...and the "scarecrow" (not a big Batman fan, but all I could think of was Crane!). Uh huh, let's ally with seedy characters. Really gives the New Republic legitimacy, eh?
The Maw Installation was interesting, but I still have no idea WHY they had to keep so quiet for so long. Weren't they wondering after a year or two why Tarkin hadn't called? Would it have been so hard to peek out and transmit a "Hey, what's up?" And the Maw Installation being so secretive that even Palpatine didn't know? Ha, got me laughing in stitches over that one.
Leia doesn't do much of anything other than wangst at home about Han being gone. She vacillates between worry and being mad (that he is "off" gambling). Then, she is shy about asking Lando and Luke to look into it. Out. Of. Character. Leia from the trilogy or from the Thrawn Trilogy would have no problem with it. In fact, she'd probably be leading the expedition. Since her kids are dumped off with Winter on the "hidden planet" and she can conveniently leave her job when the plot requires it...
Luke Skywalker is too powerful. There is a difference between a Jedi who can hold his own and a Jedi that can do everything. Look at Yoda. The guy walked around with a cane (or on a hoverchair). He wasn't perfect. He didn't smash everyone to bits. But if Luke were him, he would be using the Force to walk upside down or something crazy.
And then, his complete ignorance of Gantoris' Dark Side. For someone as powerful as Luke, he should be like, "Uh, warning! Warning!" But no, that would get rid of the story before it had even begun.
Qui Xux is the. Worst. Character. Ever. I despise her. I can't believe she exists. She is too stupid to live. Every single myth about scientists or doctors or people with intelligence is exploited in her. She is gorgeous, but also naive beyond belief. The Death Star was a mining tool? Uh, take a look at the name, girlfriend. That should be a clue. The World Devastators a roving mining colony? Girl, you need to get out more. I hadn't really liked her the first time I read, and time has definitely NOT made me more sympathetic to her. Lock her up and throw away the key.
Stereotypes like "sleazy" Twi'Leks that are only involved in crime crop up. That really torques me.
Lando's mission with the blob races is completely irrelevant and tossed in to make sure all the big guys from the movie appear. Yawn.
As for the audiobook, large chunks of Daala's history disappear (such as her affair with Tarkin) and Leia's contribution disappear (I believe there were more parts with her on Coruscant besides whining about Han). Also, the reader pronounces words incorrectly. "Bes-pin" not "Bee-spin" and "Cor-u-sant" not "Cor-u-skant". It was grating after a while.
Dialog/Sexual Situations/Violence:
A few stray d*** and h***.
Qui Xux is goregous. Of. Course.
Han, Chewie, and Kyp fight their way out of the spice mines of Kessell. The people of Eol Sha have to be moved because their planet is destroying itself.
Overall:
I know I complained a lot, but the story actually isn't too bad. It's a nice Star Wars romp. I liked Han and Chewie in the spice mines (well, not being there, but their adventure there) and Luke's "Jedi Search" was pretty darn cool. No, it's not brilliant, but it was enjoyable. Read it if you are bored or have to complete the whole series.
June 27, 2023
I know this is considered one of the weaker entries in the EU, I've always loved this trilogy. It's not perfect and definitely falls off by the third book, but it's very important. Luke finally starts his Jedi Order after years of being unsure.
Also, it's the introduction of Kyp Durron and Admiral Daala. Two very important characters.
Also, it's the introduction of Kyp Durron and Admiral Daala. Two very important characters.
September 10, 2012
As is the case with any genre of writing, there are some authors who can really get it done for their readers and some who can't. The whole time I was reading Timothy Zahn's excellent Thrawn Trilogy, I kept finding myself being pleasantly surprised at how much I was enjoying the storyline and at how well Zahn conjured the spirit of those familiar characters while rendering new characters who flow seamlessly into the already well-established storyline from the films. Zahn's dialogue made me feel that Harrison Ford himself was delivering Han Solo's lines, and the intrigue with both the smugglers and the newly revamped Imperial Fleet, headed by Grand Admiral Thrawn, kept me turning pages long into the night.
I was so into the Thrawn Trilogy, in fact, that when it ended I immediately decided to continue geeking out and dive into the next trilogy on the EU timeline. The next trilogy, unfortunately, is this piece of shit, written by Kevin J. Anderson. I would not call into question Anderson's love of the Star Wars universe or his ability to keep events in line with the EU timeline established by Zahn a few years prior to this trilogy's publication. However, being a fan does not make one a good writer, and despite the fact that Anderson has penned some twenty sci-fi novels (including other Star Wars titles), it became apparent in the first twenty pages the difference in writing ability of the Hugo Award winning Zahn and this guy. The dialogue is painful. In particular, C-3PO is so badly rendered that he comes off less as a petulant protocol droid and more like a bitchy queen at some New york party who just can't have a good time and must whine about something constantly. I could probably look past the clunky dialogue too, if it weren't for the fact that the story itself just sucks. I kept reading on, hoping to get to some good action a la Thrawn, but instead I eventually ended up with Lando, 3PO and R2 on a distant planet trying to locate a potential Jedi candidate who had shown a knack for betting big money the right blob race. Yeah, I just typed the words "blob race" in reference to a major plot point of a book I was reading on my own limited time. This was after Han and Chewie, and Luke, on separate planets, found themselves at the mercy of captors who were either so inept or so badly written (or both) that they made the most lame stormtrooper seem like MacArthur in strategic ability. I got about four pages into the blob race arena, smelled the stupidest pod raceing scene ever shaping up, and dove into an escape pod.
I have acquaintances who have read all, or almost all, of the novels in the EU, and I'll admit that for a brief moment after finishing Thrawn that thought had occurred to me. However, as I already mentioned, Kevin J. Anderson had penned several of those other novels as well, and I'll not be reading any of his any time in the near future, and likely at all. Maybe if I get caught in a cell with a Rancor and a copy of his stand alone novel Darksaber, but that's the only case I can conjure up that would drive me to pick up any of Anderson's cringeworthy writing again. I hope the next Star Wars book I pick up will help cleanse the taste of this bantha dung from my mouth, but it will have to wait, because after opting out of this trilogy, I think I'm going to stop geeking out for the time being and just rest on the Star Wars-y enjoyment I got from reading the Thrawn Trilogy and not try to "Force" the feeling again for a while.
I was so into the Thrawn Trilogy, in fact, that when it ended I immediately decided to continue geeking out and dive into the next trilogy on the EU timeline. The next trilogy, unfortunately, is this piece of shit, written by Kevin J. Anderson. I would not call into question Anderson's love of the Star Wars universe or his ability to keep events in line with the EU timeline established by Zahn a few years prior to this trilogy's publication. However, being a fan does not make one a good writer, and despite the fact that Anderson has penned some twenty sci-fi novels (including other Star Wars titles), it became apparent in the first twenty pages the difference in writing ability of the Hugo Award winning Zahn and this guy. The dialogue is painful. In particular, C-3PO is so badly rendered that he comes off less as a petulant protocol droid and more like a bitchy queen at some New york party who just can't have a good time and must whine about something constantly. I could probably look past the clunky dialogue too, if it weren't for the fact that the story itself just sucks. I kept reading on, hoping to get to some good action a la Thrawn, but instead I eventually ended up with Lando, 3PO and R2 on a distant planet trying to locate a potential Jedi candidate who had shown a knack for betting big money the right blob race. Yeah, I just typed the words "blob race" in reference to a major plot point of a book I was reading on my own limited time. This was after Han and Chewie, and Luke, on separate planets, found themselves at the mercy of captors who were either so inept or so badly written (or both) that they made the most lame stormtrooper seem like MacArthur in strategic ability. I got about four pages into the blob race arena, smelled the stupidest pod raceing scene ever shaping up, and dove into an escape pod.
I have acquaintances who have read all, or almost all, of the novels in the EU, and I'll admit that for a brief moment after finishing Thrawn that thought had occurred to me. However, as I already mentioned, Kevin J. Anderson had penned several of those other novels as well, and I'll not be reading any of his any time in the near future, and likely at all. Maybe if I get caught in a cell with a Rancor and a copy of his stand alone novel Darksaber, but that's the only case I can conjure up that would drive me to pick up any of Anderson's cringeworthy writing again. I hope the next Star Wars book I pick up will help cleanse the taste of this bantha dung from my mouth, but it will have to wait, because after opting out of this trilogy, I think I'm going to stop geeking out for the time being and just rest on the Star Wars-y enjoyment I got from reading the Thrawn Trilogy and not try to "Force" the feeling again for a while.
November 18, 2021
This was published way back in early 1994, when the nineties era Classic Star Wars Expanded Universe was already in full-swing, but had not yet become the avalanche it later developed into. I naturally picked it and the rest of the Jedi Academy trilogy up as soon as I could, being a glutton for Star Wars novelisations
I don’t think I’ve re-read it more than once in the more than quarter century that followed, because—despite it being imaginative and action-packed—some things about the writing style really rubbed me up the wrong way.
I’ve read orders of magnitude more Star Wars content since then: the Prequel Era has come and gone; the Clone Wars Era has come and gone; the Disney “Sequels” and the new Disney canon has replaced the Classic EU (committing many of the literary sins that the bonfire of the EU had given hope would be erased forever), so it is now time for a reappraisal. I’ve just finished reading Dark Empire for the first time, which has provided some much needed context for the state of the Galaxy and the characters since the end of the Thrawn trilogy.
I think that, in order to give this book a fair shake, I’m going to have to treat it as a YA novel, because stylistically it is very much more targeted towards a juvenile audience than the Timothy Zahn books of the same era.
Well, the premise of the story is great: Luke Skywalker is planning on searching the Galaxy for potential recruits to a new Jedi Academy. Immediately we run into one of this story’s major flaws—the crude plot contrivances. Luke needs a way to identify potential Force sensitives, and within the space of what seems like a few minutes (literally within three pages) not one but two separate and distinct ways of doing this (a technological and a mystical way) are discovered accidentally and independently of each other by Luke.
Another contrivance is when Artoo identifies to Leia a need to investigate a potential Jedi candidate (who happens to be a successful gambler) whilst Han, Chewie and Luke are away on other business. Who, then, immediately walks into the room but a suddenly impoverished Lando Calrissian, looking for a job. That is not artful writing, but it is an interesting idea - set a gambler to catch a gambler. And for the record, the blob races that Lando investigates are as goofy as can be imagined, but I don’t hate the idea of them like I did when reading this book as a youth. I have come to appreciate a certain degree of goofiness in Star Wars, so long as it is imaginative, expands the worldbuilding, and serves rather than detracts from the story.
The Han Solo strand of the plot is hugely entertaining, building off the two mentions of Kessel on the original Star Wars movie. Crashing on the prison planet, and sent to the spice mines, Han and Chewie get the chance to use their old smugglers’ wiles in a way that is not too contrived. Moruth Doole is an appropriately slimy and villainous foil, and the mines are as grim as imagined from Threepio’s dismayed mention of them in the movie. The only thing I’m irked by is finding out that the real name of “spice” is actually “glitterstim”. This name has always struck me as a bit silly—but that is entirely my taste and can’t be taken as a serious criticism (especially in a YA novel). Nonetheless, Han’s story doesn’t escape the curse of plot contrivance either: he is imprisoned with a youth who just happens to be Force sensitive, and who had received some training sufficient to aid them in their escape. In the same week that Luke has started looking for apprentices.
The plot follows a kind of “comic book logic”, where everything is stated baldly, in simplistic terms, and nothing is left to subtext or interpretation. All the characters are excitable and as enthusiastic as eight-year-olds, and share their thoughts at the drop of a hat. This can make the writing quite tiresome to read, as it feels as if everything is described in golly-gee superlatives. Case in point—at the very end of the book, Luke tests a candidate and says, “[Y]ou have amazing power … I just hope I know how to handle it when you come into full control of your abilities!”—the words don’t sound like Luke, but they are simple and clear enough for a YA or younger audience to understand without effort.
Despite all the flaws, I enjoyed my time with this book more than on my previous reads. Perhaps I have been desensitised to bad Star Wars from reading so much of the insipid, uninspired Disney novels that the utter bonkers breakneck nature of this story no longer seems so distasteful by comparison. I could have done with fewer references to the “resurrected” Emperor from Dark Empire, as I keep that story firmly out of my headcanon, but aside from that, the continuity with other Star Wars works published before this is impressive (if a little clunky).
I think it’s worth 3 stars—a one-star improvement over my previous rating.
I don’t think I’ve re-read it more than once in the more than quarter century that followed, because—despite it being imaginative and action-packed—some things about the writing style really rubbed me up the wrong way.
I’ve read orders of magnitude more Star Wars content since then: the Prequel Era has come and gone; the Clone Wars Era has come and gone; the Disney “Sequels” and the new Disney canon has replaced the Classic EU (committing many of the literary sins that the bonfire of the EU had given hope would be erased forever), so it is now time for a reappraisal. I’ve just finished reading Dark Empire for the first time, which has provided some much needed context for the state of the Galaxy and the characters since the end of the Thrawn trilogy.
I think that, in order to give this book a fair shake, I’m going to have to treat it as a YA novel, because stylistically it is very much more targeted towards a juvenile audience than the Timothy Zahn books of the same era.
Well, the premise of the story is great: Luke Skywalker is planning on searching the Galaxy for potential recruits to a new Jedi Academy. Immediately we run into one of this story’s major flaws—the crude plot contrivances. Luke needs a way to identify potential Force sensitives, and within the space of what seems like a few minutes (literally within three pages) not one but two separate and distinct ways of doing this (a technological and a mystical way) are discovered accidentally and independently of each other by Luke.
Another contrivance is when Artoo identifies to Leia a need to investigate a potential Jedi candidate (who happens to be a successful gambler) whilst Han, Chewie and Luke are away on other business. Who, then, immediately walks into the room but a suddenly impoverished Lando Calrissian, looking for a job. That is not artful writing, but it is an interesting idea - set a gambler to catch a gambler. And for the record, the blob races that Lando investigates are as goofy as can be imagined, but I don’t hate the idea of them like I did when reading this book as a youth. I have come to appreciate a certain degree of goofiness in Star Wars, so long as it is imaginative, expands the worldbuilding, and serves rather than detracts from the story.
The Han Solo strand of the plot is hugely entertaining, building off the two mentions of Kessel on the original Star Wars movie. Crashing on the prison planet, and sent to the spice mines, Han and Chewie get the chance to use their old smugglers’ wiles in a way that is not too contrived. Moruth Doole is an appropriately slimy and villainous foil, and the mines are as grim as imagined from Threepio’s dismayed mention of them in the movie. The only thing I’m irked by is finding out that the real name of “spice” is actually “glitterstim”. This name has always struck me as a bit silly—but that is entirely my taste and can’t be taken as a serious criticism (especially in a YA novel). Nonetheless, Han’s story doesn’t escape the curse of plot contrivance either: he is imprisoned with a youth who just happens to be Force sensitive, and who had received some training sufficient to aid them in their escape. In the same week that Luke has started looking for apprentices.
The plot follows a kind of “comic book logic”, where everything is stated baldly, in simplistic terms, and nothing is left to subtext or interpretation. All the characters are excitable and as enthusiastic as eight-year-olds, and share their thoughts at the drop of a hat. This can make the writing quite tiresome to read, as it feels as if everything is described in golly-gee superlatives. Case in point—at the very end of the book, Luke tests a candidate and says, “[Y]ou have amazing power … I just hope I know how to handle it when you come into full control of your abilities!”—the words don’t sound like Luke, but they are simple and clear enough for a YA or younger audience to understand without effort.
Despite all the flaws, I enjoyed my time with this book more than on my previous reads. Perhaps I have been desensitised to bad Star Wars from reading so much of the insipid, uninspired Disney novels that the utter bonkers breakneck nature of this story no longer seems so distasteful by comparison. I could have done with fewer references to the “resurrected” Emperor from Dark Empire, as I keep that story firmly out of my headcanon, but aside from that, the continuity with other Star Wars works published before this is impressive (if a little clunky).
I think it’s worth 3 stars—a one-star improvement over my previous rating.
November 16, 2023
I think that I would give this a 3.5/5 stars.
By no means was this bad, I enjoyed a lot of it. I think the rating likely was impact after reading it IMMEDIATELY after finishing the original Thrawn trilogy. To compare the two isn’t fair. But I will.
This read like a typical Star Wars novel in that the beginning is a lot of exposition to recap prior events, the middle can get bogged down in exposition, and the end is a race to the finish with lots of action.
I thought it was exciting reading about how Luke was rebuilding the Jedi Order and the trials he and his initiates had to go through to make it to the end destination of the academy.
So far, many of the new characters sort of seemed a little flat in comparison to the new characters added by Zahn. I do hope in subsequent books their plots thicken and pick up.
I did find it extremely intriguing having an entire attack squadron of the Imperial Remnant “lost at sea” and not knowing anything, even that Tarkin died nearly 10 years earlier.
The storyline was intriguing enough to make me excited to pick up the next book and start reading, if nothing more than to see if we learn who the mysterious “dark man” Luke’s imitative mentioned is and how they’ll play a role in the narrative moving forward.
By no means was this bad, I enjoyed a lot of it. I think the rating likely was impact after reading it IMMEDIATELY after finishing the original Thrawn trilogy. To compare the two isn’t fair. But I will.
This read like a typical Star Wars novel in that the beginning is a lot of exposition to recap prior events, the middle can get bogged down in exposition, and the end is a race to the finish with lots of action.
I thought it was exciting reading about how Luke was rebuilding the Jedi Order and the trials he and his initiates had to go through to make it to the end destination of the academy.
So far, many of the new characters sort of seemed a little flat in comparison to the new characters added by Zahn. I do hope in subsequent books their plots thicken and pick up.
I did find it extremely intriguing having an entire attack squadron of the Imperial Remnant “lost at sea” and not knowing anything, even that Tarkin died nearly 10 years earlier.
The storyline was intriguing enough to make me excited to pick up the next book and start reading, if nothing more than to see if we learn who the mysterious “dark man” Luke’s imitative mentioned is and how they’ll play a role in the narrative moving forward.
December 16, 2015
FIRST THOUGHTS: 3.5 stars. While JEDI SEARCH and I had a rocky start (due mostly to the abrupt character POV switches and me personally not being used to reading sci-fi), it mellowed out into an excellent story in the end. I loved being reunited with some of my favorite people in the Star Wars universe, and getting to witness their adventures after everything that's happened in the films. I think, of all the stories, I was most interested in Han's individual arc, but it all works together to bring it to a solid ending. Pretty good series starter, and I'm looking forward to reading the rest!
July 16, 2012
I really liked this book and am looking forward to reading the next one in the series! I thought the writing was good and the storyline is really interesting. I would definitely recommend this book to any Star Wars Fan.
The only thing I noticed that was funny was the author focuses a LOT on Admiral Daala's hair. Every scene with her, something is mentioned about her hair. I just found that a little odd but funny. Anyone else notice that?
Overall, this is a good book!
The only thing I noticed that was funny was the author focuses a LOT on Admiral Daala's hair. Every scene with her, something is mentioned about her hair. I just found that a little odd but funny. Anyone else notice that?
Overall, this is a good book!
April 5, 2020
For 2020, I decided to reread (in publication order) all the Bantam-era Star Wars books that were released between 1991 and 1999; that shakes out to 38 adult novels and 5 anthologies of short stories & novellas.
This week’s focus: Jedi Search by Kevin J. Anderson.
SOME HISTORY:
All of the previous 90s Star Wars books were originally hardcover releases, but the Jedi Academy Trilogy was the start of something new: books released solely in paperback. Beginning in 1994, Bantam released a number of paperback books plus one or two hardcovers each year. The trilogy also relies heavily on the Star Wars: Dark Empire Trilogy comic, which is both a blessing and a curse. If you’ve read the comic, it’s nice to see the repercussions of the Reborn Emperor still affecting the galaxy a year later. If you haven’t read the comic, though, you’re afloat in a sea of foreign information that isn’t extensively explained.
Jedi Search did better than the previous release, The Truce at Bakura; the book made it to #4 on the New York Times paperback bestseller list for two separate weeks--the week of February 27 and the week of March 13--and ultimately stayed on the NYT list for 8 weeks.
MY RECOLLECTION OF THE BOOK:
I had conflated events from the next two books with Jedi Search, so reading it led to me constantly shaking my head and going “that happened here?” I remembered Luke's Jedi search, and that Daala shows up, but was very hazy where other plot events fell in the trilogy’s timeline. I had somehow completely forgotten Lando’s trip to the Umgul blob races, but perhaps that was my own protective amnesia...
PRINCESS LEIA COSTUME CHANGE COUNT:
Leia changes out of her “diplomatic clothes” in the beginning, but we don’t get any sense of what they look like. When she shows Gantoris the images of Dantooine, she’s wearing a robe. This is clearly insufficient wardrobe descriptions!
A BRIEF SUMMARY:
Newly-proclaimed Jedi Master Luke Skywalker wants to restart the Jedi Order, and asks the Senate for permission to find Jedi acolytes and form a new Jedi Academy. At the same time, Han Solo and Chewbacca are sent to Kessel on a diplomatic mission that goes horribly awry. And hidden nearby in the Maw Cluster, Admiral Daala waits for word from Grand Moff Tarkin to unleash the Imperial’s newest superweapon on the unsuspecting galaxy...
THE CHARACTERS:
It’s hard for me to approach this book objectively, because KJA introduced so many characters and elements I hate into the SW universe. Still, I tried very hard during this reread. Han and Chewbacca have an interesting plot line (even if the logistics of their mission didn’t make complete sense to me), and I felt that their portrayals were closest to the SW baseline. Han provokes the bad guys, and even when it looks like they’ll never escape, he’s still plotting and scheming. I appreciated, too, that Chewie is with him the whole time--thus far, some of the SW authors have felt the need to send Chewie off somewhere else, but it makes sense to me that Han and he would undertake this mission together.
Luke behaves weirdly in this book. I understand that he’s working through a lot of guilt and trauma from the events of Star Wars: Dark Empire Trilogy, but he comes across as humorless and remote. There are very few glimpses of the kind, pleasant man that we saw in the Thrawn trilogy or even The Truce at Bakura. Similarly, his Force powers are so far beyond anything we have seen him do up to this point, which I assume is in keeping with how he behaved in Star Wars: Dark Empire Trilogy. He jumps out of a volcano hole! He walks on lava! Why KJA? It leads to this feeling that, combined with his new personality, I’m reading about a pod person who has taken the place of the original Luke. I didn’t like it.
Leia is singularly useless in this book. She’s Minister of State, but the only glimpses we get into her job revolve around Ambassador Furgan from Carida, and then one instance where she’s frustrated and overworked and takes out her annoyance on a subordinate. Han doesn’t report back in from his mission, and she sulks and worries that he’s fallen back into his old smuggler ways. She’s not particularly necessary to the plot; once she decides they need to check on Han, it’s Luke and Lando who head off to Kessel to check things out.
Poor Lando. We get an explanation that he lost Nkllon in a card game and is now down on his luck--really?? Lando has a particularly ridiculous plot line, in which he heads to the Umgul blob races to investigate one of Luke’s potential Jedi. Of course, he takes C-3P0 and R2-D2 with him; of course, he returns empty-handed. I understand that KJA needed something for Lando to do, but surely anything would be better than the blob races!
Of Luke’s potential Jedi: Gantoris is so obviously bad news, oh my word. A dark man has appeared to him in his dreams? His inevitable betrayal will not surprise me one bit. Streen is sweet, I guess. Kyp Durron is interesting, and I enjoyed his developing friendship with Han.
Leia and Han’s twins appear in this book, after two years (??--I’ll get into that) on a hidden planet. They are two years old. Plot lines involve Threepio trying to keep track of them. I absolutely hate this part of the book.
Now to the baddies. Moruth Doole is a space frog. (Haha, he’s a Rybet, I see what you did there KJA.) His second-in-command has the atrocious name of Skynxnex. Qwi Xux is so naive that it completely ruins my suspension of disbelief. Admiral Daala strikes me as a Mary Sue with an horrifyingly undelved backstory. Of course she was the youngest Admiral ever, and the best at the Imperial Academy, and she has oft-described long thick auburn hair. But the fact that she was Tarkin’s mistress at such a young age, and was pretty much groomed for her current position, is both awful and never actually addressed.
ISSUES:
Whoah do I have so many issues with this book. First, it’s surprisingly easy to put down. Up to this point, I was averaging one SW book a week, but Jedi Search took me weeeeks to finish. There’s action scenes, but they don’t reach the same level of gripping excitement that Zahn achieved in the Thrawn trilogy.
There are also numerous references or callbacks to Star Wars: Dark Empire Trilogy, which only works if you’re familiar with the comic. If not, you’re left wondering why Coruscant needs to be rebuilt, or who is Vima-Da-Boda, or why Luke is struggling with Dark Side stuff. It’s a good chunk of setup that most readers probably never got.
And that’s not even taking into consideration all the new stuff KJA just drops on the reader. Apparently Force-sensitive children are most vulnerable during their first two years, which is why Jaina and Jacen were kept on a hidden planet (?) found by Luke and Admiral Ackbar (??) for the past two years? Where is any of this coming from? What is the source for this??
I find the reintroduction of superweapons into the SW universe disappointing at best. Even worse, superweapons are not simply reintroduced, but rather continually bulked up and increased in power. Sure, the Death Star is scary, but Daala had a Sun Crusher, which could destroy entire solar systems! There’s no strategy involved with superweapons, not when you can blow up entire worlds.
I am also unclear on why exactly the New Republic wanted good relations with Kessel. They use slave labor to produce an addictive drug. Why would you want any part of that? For me, Han’s plotline on Kessel falls apart the more I think about the ethics of his mission.
IN CONCLUSION:
Jedi Search introduces a lot of characters and concepts to the GFFA, some of which endured all the way to the end of the Legends era. It’s pivotal to the development of the Expanded Universe. It’s a pity then that it’s just not very good.
Next up: The Courtship of Princess Leia by Dave Wolverton.
My YouTube review: https://youtu.be/7HASsSmbYzk
This week’s focus: Jedi Search by Kevin J. Anderson.
SOME HISTORY:
All of the previous 90s Star Wars books were originally hardcover releases, but the Jedi Academy Trilogy was the start of something new: books released solely in paperback. Beginning in 1994, Bantam released a number of paperback books plus one or two hardcovers each year. The trilogy also relies heavily on the Star Wars: Dark Empire Trilogy comic, which is both a blessing and a curse. If you’ve read the comic, it’s nice to see the repercussions of the Reborn Emperor still affecting the galaxy a year later. If you haven’t read the comic, though, you’re afloat in a sea of foreign information that isn’t extensively explained.
Jedi Search did better than the previous release, The Truce at Bakura; the book made it to #4 on the New York Times paperback bestseller list for two separate weeks--the week of February 27 and the week of March 13--and ultimately stayed on the NYT list for 8 weeks.
MY RECOLLECTION OF THE BOOK:
I had conflated events from the next two books with Jedi Search, so reading it led to me constantly shaking my head and going “that happened here?” I remembered Luke's Jedi search, and that Daala shows up, but was very hazy where other plot events fell in the trilogy’s timeline. I had somehow completely forgotten Lando’s trip to the Umgul blob races, but perhaps that was my own protective amnesia...
PRINCESS LEIA COSTUME CHANGE COUNT:
Leia changes out of her “diplomatic clothes” in the beginning, but we don’t get any sense of what they look like. When she shows Gantoris the images of Dantooine, she’s wearing a robe. This is clearly insufficient wardrobe descriptions!
A BRIEF SUMMARY:
Newly-proclaimed Jedi Master Luke Skywalker wants to restart the Jedi Order, and asks the Senate for permission to find Jedi acolytes and form a new Jedi Academy. At the same time, Han Solo and Chewbacca are sent to Kessel on a diplomatic mission that goes horribly awry. And hidden nearby in the Maw Cluster, Admiral Daala waits for word from Grand Moff Tarkin to unleash the Imperial’s newest superweapon on the unsuspecting galaxy...
THE CHARACTERS:
It’s hard for me to approach this book objectively, because KJA introduced so many characters and elements I hate into the SW universe. Still, I tried very hard during this reread. Han and Chewbacca have an interesting plot line (even if the logistics of their mission didn’t make complete sense to me), and I felt that their portrayals were closest to the SW baseline. Han provokes the bad guys, and even when it looks like they’ll never escape, he’s still plotting and scheming. I appreciated, too, that Chewie is with him the whole time--thus far, some of the SW authors have felt the need to send Chewie off somewhere else, but it makes sense to me that Han and he would undertake this mission together.
Luke behaves weirdly in this book. I understand that he’s working through a lot of guilt and trauma from the events of Star Wars: Dark Empire Trilogy, but he comes across as humorless and remote. There are very few glimpses of the kind, pleasant man that we saw in the Thrawn trilogy or even The Truce at Bakura. Similarly, his Force powers are so far beyond anything we have seen him do up to this point, which I assume is in keeping with how he behaved in Star Wars: Dark Empire Trilogy. He jumps out of a volcano hole! He walks on lava! Why KJA? It leads to this feeling that, combined with his new personality, I’m reading about a pod person who has taken the place of the original Luke. I didn’t like it.
Leia is singularly useless in this book. She’s Minister of State, but the only glimpses we get into her job revolve around Ambassador Furgan from Carida, and then one instance where she’s frustrated and overworked and takes out her annoyance on a subordinate. Han doesn’t report back in from his mission, and she sulks and worries that he’s fallen back into his old smuggler ways. She’s not particularly necessary to the plot; once she decides they need to check on Han, it’s Luke and Lando who head off to Kessel to check things out.
Poor Lando. We get an explanation that he lost Nkllon in a card game and is now down on his luck--really?? Lando has a particularly ridiculous plot line, in which he heads to the Umgul blob races to investigate one of Luke’s potential Jedi. Of course, he takes C-3P0 and R2-D2 with him; of course, he returns empty-handed. I understand that KJA needed something for Lando to do, but surely anything would be better than the blob races!
Of Luke’s potential Jedi: Gantoris is so obviously bad news, oh my word. A dark man has appeared to him in his dreams? His inevitable betrayal will not surprise me one bit. Streen is sweet, I guess. Kyp Durron is interesting, and I enjoyed his developing friendship with Han.
Leia and Han’s twins appear in this book, after two years (??--I’ll get into that) on a hidden planet. They are two years old. Plot lines involve Threepio trying to keep track of them. I absolutely hate this part of the book.
Now to the baddies. Moruth Doole is a space frog. (Haha, he’s a Rybet, I see what you did there KJA.) His second-in-command has the atrocious name of Skynxnex. Qwi Xux is so naive that it completely ruins my suspension of disbelief. Admiral Daala strikes me as a Mary Sue with an horrifyingly undelved backstory. Of course she was the youngest Admiral ever, and the best at the Imperial Academy, and she has oft-described long thick auburn hair. But the fact that she was Tarkin’s mistress at such a young age, and was pretty much groomed for her current position, is both awful and never actually addressed.
ISSUES:
Whoah do I have so many issues with this book. First, it’s surprisingly easy to put down. Up to this point, I was averaging one SW book a week, but Jedi Search took me weeeeks to finish. There’s action scenes, but they don’t reach the same level of gripping excitement that Zahn achieved in the Thrawn trilogy.
There are also numerous references or callbacks to Star Wars: Dark Empire Trilogy, which only works if you’re familiar with the comic. If not, you’re left wondering why Coruscant needs to be rebuilt, or who is Vima-Da-Boda, or why Luke is struggling with Dark Side stuff. It’s a good chunk of setup that most readers probably never got.
And that’s not even taking into consideration all the new stuff KJA just drops on the reader. Apparently Force-sensitive children are most vulnerable during their first two years, which is why Jaina and Jacen were kept on a hidden planet (?) found by Luke and Admiral Ackbar (??) for the past two years? Where is any of this coming from? What is the source for this??
I find the reintroduction of superweapons into the SW universe disappointing at best. Even worse, superweapons are not simply reintroduced, but rather continually bulked up and increased in power. Sure, the Death Star is scary, but Daala had a Sun Crusher, which could destroy entire solar systems! There’s no strategy involved with superweapons, not when you can blow up entire worlds.
I am also unclear on why exactly the New Republic wanted good relations with Kessel. They use slave labor to produce an addictive drug. Why would you want any part of that? For me, Han’s plotline on Kessel falls apart the more I think about the ethics of his mission.
IN CONCLUSION:
Jedi Search introduces a lot of characters and concepts to the GFFA, some of which endured all the way to the end of the Legends era. It’s pivotal to the development of the Expanded Universe. It’s a pity then that it’s just not very good.
Next up: The Courtship of Princess Leia by Dave Wolverton.
My YouTube review: https://youtu.be/7HASsSmbYzk
May 28, 2018
3.5/5
October 12, 2013
The events of Kevin Anderson's "Jedi Search" take place many years after the events of "Return of the Jedi". Princess Leia is married to Han Solo, and they have three children. What used to be the Rebel Alliance is now the New Republic, a fledgling democracy of many united worlds that has replaced the Empire. Remnants of the Empire still linger throughout the galaxy, however, in the form of rogue Imperial Star Destroyers and hidden Imperial outposts, so the New Republic still finds itself occasionally involved in skirmishes and interplanetary warfare.
Luke Skywalker is a Jedi Master (after having fallen to the Dark Side and being rescued by Han and Leia, apparently in another series prior to this novel) with a single-minded goal of training new Jedis. Thus, "Jedi Search".
Sci-fi author Anderson has written a pretty exciting novel in the post-"ROTJ" Star Wars universe, part one of his Jedi Academy trilogy. He pays tribute and reference to the previous novels, most notably Timothy Zahn's excellent "Thrawn" trilogy, Kathy Tyers's "Truce at Bakura", as well as some other books that I somehow missed reading (a serious oversight that I will correct the next time I make it to the book store). I thoroughly enjoyed Anderson's novel, which is as suspenseful and entertaining as one would expect from a Star Wars novel.
There are several parallel storylines going on in the novel, the main one involving the capture of Han Solo and Chewbacca by thugs from Han's smuggling days. He and Chewie manage to escape only to find themselves captured by a rogue Imperial fleet, led by the ruthless Admiral Daala, which for the past decade has been stationed near a black hole, unaware that the Empire has fallen, until Han tells them. They have been secretly developing a new super-weapon called the Sun Crusher. (Three guesses as to what it does...) Needless to say, the gang's all here and ready to kick some more Imperial ass. And if you've read this far into my review, I commend you on your geekiness.
Luke Skywalker is a Jedi Master (after having fallen to the Dark Side and being rescued by Han and Leia, apparently in another series prior to this novel) with a single-minded goal of training new Jedis. Thus, "Jedi Search".
Sci-fi author Anderson has written a pretty exciting novel in the post-"ROTJ" Star Wars universe, part one of his Jedi Academy trilogy. He pays tribute and reference to the previous novels, most notably Timothy Zahn's excellent "Thrawn" trilogy, Kathy Tyers's "Truce at Bakura", as well as some other books that I somehow missed reading (a serious oversight that I will correct the next time I make it to the book store). I thoroughly enjoyed Anderson's novel, which is as suspenseful and entertaining as one would expect from a Star Wars novel.
There are several parallel storylines going on in the novel, the main one involving the capture of Han Solo and Chewbacca by thugs from Han's smuggling days. He and Chewie manage to escape only to find themselves captured by a rogue Imperial fleet, led by the ruthless Admiral Daala, which for the past decade has been stationed near a black hole, unaware that the Empire has fallen, until Han tells them. They have been secretly developing a new super-weapon called the Sun Crusher. (Three guesses as to what it does...) Needless to say, the gang's all here and ready to kick some more Imperial ass. And if you've read this far into my review, I commend you on your geekiness.
October 24, 2023
I haven't read this one since I was a teenager but I recently re-read the Thrawn trilogy and the new Ashoka show has gotten me in the Star Wars mood so here we are.
Pros:
-Anderson knows how to do a Star Wars set piece! Kessel mines! Super weapons! Space Battles! The dude gets it!
-Does a good job balancing all the characters we want to see on their various adventures. He brings them together and breaks them apart effectively. Not an easy feat (as I remember from some of the later books)
-Setting the stakes for the next chapter in the Star Wars saga (Admiral Daala and the Jedi Academy)
Cons:
-Some of the writing is clunky and feels out of character.
-Some of the plotting seems unnecessary. (Looking at you Blob races) But even then is fun so who cars.
All in all, I loved it and plan on finishing the trilogy up soon.
Pros:
-Anderson knows how to do a Star Wars set piece! Kessel mines! Super weapons! Space Battles! The dude gets it!
-Does a good job balancing all the characters we want to see on their various adventures. He brings them together and breaks them apart effectively. Not an easy feat (as I remember from some of the later books)
-Setting the stakes for the next chapter in the Star Wars saga (Admiral Daala and the Jedi Academy)
Cons:
-Some of the writing is clunky and feels out of character.
-Some of the plotting seems unnecessary. (Looking at you Blob races) But even then is fun so who cars.
All in all, I loved it and plan on finishing the trilogy up soon.
February 23, 2021
It's hard for me to evaluate the Jedi Academy Trilogy objectively; my lens is tinted with nostalgia. Seminal to the post-ROTJ Legends timeline, Jedi Search kicks off a vastly important trilogy in terms of Legends worldbuilding. While not remotely comparable to the masterpiece that is the Thrawn Trilogy, Kevin J. Anderson develops a number of entertaining characters such as Kyp Durron and Admiral Daala. Plus he establishes Luke's Jedi Academy on Yavin IV—my favorite Legends locale. Ultimately, I think of the Jedi Academy books as not critically and objectively well-told, but as a ton of fun regardless.
June 5, 2007
There really isn't much I can say about this, other than the fact that I am simultaneously amused and appalled that my twelve-year-old self liked this book so much. In fairness, it's not that Anderson is a bad writer, though his characterisation makes me want to smack him frequently; it's just that I could only contain my laughter up to the time he describes one of the characters looking out at the city of Coruscant bathed in starlight. You know. Coruscant. The planet the entire surface of which is covered in buildings. And that was about ten pages in.
July 5, 2023
Kevin J Anderson does a fine job, he does well with being descriptive, as Luke Skywalker stands out on a platform on Coruscant, he stares up at the sky as the wind wraps around his robe. Debris of destroyed ships from the battle of taking Coruscant from the Empire is still orbiting the upper atmosphere of the planet. Parts of the planet are now a wasteland, where ships have crashed into the cityscape. (this imagery would be cool to see on film) I never thought about that, and now I can't get that awesome/battle worn image out of my head. New Republic is at work cleaning up.
Luke's experience in Dark Empire, where apparently he fell to the dark side of the force for a bit, broadened his insight and understanding of the force. The power of the force is so vast, it actually terrifies Luke. (reminds me of God, we fear God, the creator of the universe, we exist in a moment of time, our understanding of reality and the spiritual realm is so limited.)
Even our favorite Jedi, Luke Skywalker, misquotes Vader when reflecting on his time on Cloud City. "Luke, I am your father." WRONG.
I'm glad we have a story of Luke going out in the galaxy to find trainees. I also like that some citizens of the New Republic are actually a bit concerned with the resurrection of the Jedi Order. Many are fearful that one slip up, one Jedi that craves too much power, could bring about the destruction of the galaxy once again. We meet new characters, young and old that are ready to be attuned to the force, to get a better understanding of the power they have within.
At first, I was concerned with how the Empire was handled in the story. An Imperial instillation has been out in the Maw, a cluster of black-holes, for 11 years. The instillation is run by Admiral Daala and she hasn't heard a word from Tarkin, the only individual aware of this weapons development program. They continued about their work all these years, not knowing a single thing about what has happened to the Empire. As odd as it is, I think it works, only because it was a top-secret facility.
Do I recommend Star Wars: Jedi Search? Yes I do.
RATING
I give this story an A.
Luke's experience in Dark Empire, where apparently he fell to the dark side of the force for a bit, broadened his insight and understanding of the force. The power of the force is so vast, it actually terrifies Luke. (reminds me of God, we fear God, the creator of the universe, we exist in a moment of time, our understanding of reality and the spiritual realm is so limited.)
Even our favorite Jedi, Luke Skywalker, misquotes Vader when reflecting on his time on Cloud City. "Luke, I am your father." WRONG.
I'm glad we have a story of Luke going out in the galaxy to find trainees. I also like that some citizens of the New Republic are actually a bit concerned with the resurrection of the Jedi Order. Many are fearful that one slip up, one Jedi that craves too much power, could bring about the destruction of the galaxy once again. We meet new characters, young and old that are ready to be attuned to the force, to get a better understanding of the power they have within.
At first, I was concerned with how the Empire was handled in the story. An Imperial instillation has been out in the Maw, a cluster of black-holes, for 11 years. The instillation is run by Admiral Daala and she hasn't heard a word from Tarkin, the only individual aware of this weapons development program. They continued about their work all these years, not knowing a single thing about what has happened to the Empire. As odd as it is, I think it works, only because it was a top-secret facility.
Do I recommend Star Wars: Jedi Search? Yes I do.
RATING
I give this story an A.
August 8, 2024
The first book in the Jedi Academy was slow, but still decently enjoyable. Definitely not always a page turner; especially as Anderson describes the Blob race in excruciating detail.
I really like Luke's story of planet hopping in search of new Jedi. I also like how dark Han's story is. It's a real risk to go so bleak with the character who is typically the most fun. However it meanders on for way too long feeling like it's stuck in place. The other characters points of view are not nearly as interesting.
The book takes far too long to introduce the main villain and way to long to move the characters forward resulting in feeling like not much happens. However the things it sets up seem very promising for the rest of the trilogy.
I enjoy new characters like Kyp and Gantoris as well as more personality for Mon Mothma, but I do not appreciate how it completely disregards Mara Jade and Talon Karde
I really like Luke's story of planet hopping in search of new Jedi. I also like how dark Han's story is. It's a real risk to go so bleak with the character who is typically the most fun. However it meanders on for way too long feeling like it's stuck in place. The other characters points of view are not nearly as interesting.
The book takes far too long to introduce the main villain and way to long to move the characters forward resulting in feeling like not much happens. However the things it sets up seem very promising for the rest of the trilogy.
I enjoy new characters like Kyp and Gantoris as well as more personality for Mon Mothma, but I do not appreciate how it completely disregards Mara Jade and Talon Karde
August 27, 2024
Great read
With Luke searching for people strong in the force and Han and Chewiegping to Kessel to be ambassadors for the New Republic, Leia is left to hold down the fort at home. She has plenty of her own adventures right on Coruscant with New Republic duties and her duties as a mom she is still concerned for all her family and friends that are in danger. I would recommend this story to any reader who enjoys Star Wars.
With Luke searching for people strong in the force and Han and Chewiegping to Kessel to be ambassadors for the New Republic, Leia is left to hold down the fort at home. She has plenty of her own adventures right on Coruscant with New Republic duties and her duties as a mom she is still concerned for all her family and friends that are in danger. I would recommend this story to any reader who enjoys Star Wars.
March 12, 2024
I honestly don't have much to say about this book. The story isn't that bad but there is noticeable amounts of filler within the novel. If the said filler was removed, it wouldn't affect the outcome of the plot in any major way. Furthermore, there are some silly concepts that probably seemed cool in drafts, but were executed poorly or are just repetitive in the Star Wars eu. Overall, if you are looking for a simple, goofy Star Wars adventure with your favorite characters, then I recommend this book.
June 29, 2023
3.5 stars
January 9, 2025
This was just a pure star wars adventure. No crazy twists and turns of the plot, no emotional depth, no character study. Just bare bones action and some lore.
April 27, 2021
I see this series gets a lot of flack, and I can see why in some cases. Anderson isn't the greatest writer, and while I found the book to be more readable than some of the other authors featured in the Expanded Universe, it still felt serviceable at best. Parts of it felt forced in (I'm still trying to figure out the point of Lando's adventure to the glob races (and the less said of the "globstacle course", the better...)), and the dialogue didn't always feel natural. Plus, there's the whole thing about "Jedi Master Luke Skywalker", since that's how he's referred to about 90% of the time. WE GET IT.
May 25, 2024
After reading Timothy Zahn’s Thrawn Trilogy over the winter break, I thought I’d be putting the Star Wars novels away until after I defended my thesis in September. As it turn out, however, working on your thesis proposal leads to stress. Stress, in turn, leads to insomnia, and insomnia leads to reading Star Wars in the middle of the night.
Though set almost immediately after the events of the Thrawn Trilogy and released only a year after the third and final installment, Kevin J. Anderson’s Jedi Search does not garner quite as much adulation from Star Wars fans as Zahn’s trilogy does. It's not so difficult to see why.
Some reviewers have suggested that reading the book is just painful. Others have said that Anderson’s writing is awful. I would say that’s true only of the first seventy-five pages or so. This is where Anderson introduces some of the most baffling, outlandish, and ultimately pointless plot devices in the entire Star Wars universe, rivaling midi-chlorians in terms of damage inflicted to the mythos around the Jedi and the Force.
A “Jedi-detecting” device conveniently discovered just when Luke Skywalker is looking for potential candidates for his new Jedi Academy. A magical reflex, unique to force-users and triggered by attempts at mind probing, again discovered just in time for Luke’s search. A drug that grants the user brief mind reading powers (Anderson appears to have a veritable fetish for mind reading).
These devices do not square very well with the mystery and wonder surrounding the Force in the Original Trilogy. Near the end of the book, for example, the “Jedi-detecting device” is used to confirm that someone is a Force-user, only a dozen pages or so after Han reflects that the Force is beyond the reach of science. Guess not!
And why the reflex? Whatever happened to being able to feel the presence of the Force? Hey, remember when Vader remarks, “The Force is strong with this one” as he tries to shoot down Luke’s X-Wing in Episode IV? Or when Luke feels Mara Jade’s powers from miles away in Heir to the Empire, without even knowing who she is? This is the most infuriating aspect of these devices: both could easily have been dispensed with without compromising the narrative in the least.
After these first few chapters of fumbles, Jedi Search becomes classic Star Wars. The dialogue is snappy and the narrative exhilarating. Anderson handles the characters remarkably well, especially Han Solo, whose lines simply cannot be read in any voice but Harrison Ford’s. In this respect, he does at least as well as Timothy Zahn, and certainly better than Ann Crispin, whose Han Solo Trilogy, while entertaining, is somewhat lacking in the dialogue department.
There is plenty for any Star Wars fan to enjoy here. It’s just such a shame that they have to wade through fifty pages of eye rolling, cringe-inducing faux-pas before getting there.
Though set almost immediately after the events of the Thrawn Trilogy and released only a year after the third and final installment, Kevin J. Anderson’s Jedi Search does not garner quite as much adulation from Star Wars fans as Zahn’s trilogy does. It's not so difficult to see why.
Some reviewers have suggested that reading the book is just painful. Others have said that Anderson’s writing is awful. I would say that’s true only of the first seventy-five pages or so. This is where Anderson introduces some of the most baffling, outlandish, and ultimately pointless plot devices in the entire Star Wars universe, rivaling midi-chlorians in terms of damage inflicted to the mythos around the Jedi and the Force.
A “Jedi-detecting” device conveniently discovered just when Luke Skywalker is looking for potential candidates for his new Jedi Academy. A magical reflex, unique to force-users and triggered by attempts at mind probing, again discovered just in time for Luke’s search. A drug that grants the user brief mind reading powers (Anderson appears to have a veritable fetish for mind reading).
These devices do not square very well with the mystery and wonder surrounding the Force in the Original Trilogy. Near the end of the book, for example, the “Jedi-detecting device” is used to confirm that someone is a Force-user, only a dozen pages or so after Han reflects that the Force is beyond the reach of science. Guess not!
And why the reflex? Whatever happened to being able to feel the presence of the Force? Hey, remember when Vader remarks, “The Force is strong with this one” as he tries to shoot down Luke’s X-Wing in Episode IV? Or when Luke feels Mara Jade’s powers from miles away in Heir to the Empire, without even knowing who she is? This is the most infuriating aspect of these devices: both could easily have been dispensed with without compromising the narrative in the least.
After these first few chapters of fumbles, Jedi Search becomes classic Star Wars. The dialogue is snappy and the narrative exhilarating. Anderson handles the characters remarkably well, especially Han Solo, whose lines simply cannot be read in any voice but Harrison Ford’s. In this respect, he does at least as well as Timothy Zahn, and certainly better than Ann Crispin, whose Han Solo Trilogy, while entertaining, is somewhat lacking in the dialogue department.
There is plenty for any Star Wars fan to enjoy here. It’s just such a shame that they have to wade through fifty pages of eye rolling, cringe-inducing faux-pas before getting there.
Shelved as 'read-but-do-not-remember'
September 9, 2009I read a lot of crap spin offs from Star Wars when I was in middle school. I barely remember this series, except that it tied in with the Tales of the Jedi comic series, and the Thrawn Trilogy.
I admired Kevin J. Anderson's commitment to consistency. Even though it is a losing battle against a swirling storm of crap ideas and subpar writing, fueled by the money of maladjusted tween boys.
Also, this trilogy contains a really lame way of "one upping the death star."
I admired Kevin J. Anderson's commitment to consistency. Even though it is a losing battle against a swirling storm of crap ideas and subpar writing, fueled by the money of maladjusted tween boys.
Also, this trilogy contains a really lame way of "one upping the death star."
October 3, 2009
Better than what I've come expect from Anderson. oh, the usual cliques and short cuts are there, but there's also a real story.
Every reader understands the significance of the red in Kyp's aura. Why doesn't Luke? Trying to increase the drama, authors often dumb down their characters to the point of silliness.
Cover art sucks. Were these Star Wars book covers done by competing grade schoolers?
Every reader understands the significance of the red in Kyp's aura. Why doesn't Luke? Trying to increase the drama, authors often dumb down their characters to the point of silliness.
Cover art sucks. Were these Star Wars book covers done by competing grade schoolers?
May 7, 2009
Is this a great book? No. Did I read it three times? Yes. But that's 'cause I loved me some Luke/Mara Jade. They're not bad- better than most of the SW fiction out there, but kind of average for the canon storyline.
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