rhganci's review against another edition
1.0
I could not be more disappointed with this book—it sucked ass. Characterization: terrible. Plot: boring. Action: non-existent. The exposition, if you want to call it that, built to no notable climax, and the story itself just wasn’t that great. I’m so bummed, because the first volume was so excellent. Luke did not come off as a Jedi Master, just a fledgling teacher who didn’t know what the hell he was doing. Subplots with Wedge hooking up with the alien scientist made no sense, and neither did “Threepio’s adventures in babysitting, starring Chewbacca.” It was a night and day difference between the first volume and the second volume, and I just don’t have the energy now to try to keep reading in the EU.
colinmcev's review against another edition
2.0
So I enjoyed Dark Apprentice perhaps a bit more than the two-star rating indicates (Goodreads really needs to allow half-stars in their rating systems!) but for the most part, I found this book to be a disappointing follow-up to Jedi Search. While I found the first book to be an enjoyable read, with strong new characters and original, interesting storylines, Dark Apprentice felt a bit thin to me.
There were so many subplots that felt arbitrary and pointless, as if they were filler content that could have been excluded altogether. Like Lando and Han constantly losing-then-winning-then-losing-again the Millennium Falcon from each other in card games, or Han and Kyp going skiing together, or the Jedi twins Jacen and Jaina wandering off and getting lost together, or the random romance between Wedge and Qwi Sux, etc. etc. None of these narratives really did anything to drive the plot of the book forward; on the contrary, they slowed everything down and were at times quite dull.
Meanwhile, Kyp Durran's descent into the Dark Side, which should have been one of the most crucial developments in the novel, felt a bit rushed to me. It felt like Kyp had barely begun his training with Luke Skywalker when he was all of a sudden under the influence of a darker power, and then he switched from good to bad almost instantly. It didn't feel earned, and as a result wasn't as effective as it should have been.
All that being said, there were certainly elements of Dark Apprentice I enjoyed. I continue to find Admiral Daala interesting, and Exar Kun seems like a particularly strong new character with a lot of potential. I also enjoyed the subplot revolving around Admiral Ackbar's fall from power, starting with a tragic accident (or so it seems) at the start of the book and leading back to his home planet of Calamari. Ackbar's moment of glory, where he finds redemption by taking control of his planet's forces and launches a successful defense, is one of the stronger points of the novel.
Overall, Dark Apprentice was a disappointment, and there's more to dislike here than there is to like. That being said, I fully intend to finish the trilogy with Champions of the Force, and – my issues with this book notwithstanding – actually look forward to it.
There were so many subplots that felt arbitrary and pointless, as if they were filler content that could have been excluded altogether. Like Lando and Han constantly losing-then-winning-then-losing-again the Millennium Falcon from each other in card games, or Han and Kyp going skiing together, or the Jedi twins Jacen and Jaina wandering off and getting lost together, or the random romance between Wedge and Qwi Sux, etc. etc. None of these narratives really did anything to drive the plot of the book forward; on the contrary, they slowed everything down and were at times quite dull.
Meanwhile, Kyp Durran's descent into the Dark Side, which should have been one of the most crucial developments in the novel, felt a bit rushed to me. It felt like Kyp had barely begun his training with Luke Skywalker when he was all of a sudden under the influence of a darker power, and then he switched from good to bad almost instantly. It didn't feel earned, and as a result wasn't as effective as it should have been.
All that being said, there were certainly elements of Dark Apprentice I enjoyed. I continue to find Admiral Daala interesting, and Exar Kun seems like a particularly strong new character with a lot of potential. I also enjoyed the subplot revolving around Admiral Ackbar's fall from power, starting with a tragic accident (or so it seems) at the start of the book and leading back to his home planet of Calamari. Ackbar's moment of glory, where he finds redemption by taking control of his planet's forces and launches a successful defense, is one of the stronger points of the novel.
Overall, Dark Apprentice was a disappointment, and there's more to dislike here than there is to like. That being said, I fully intend to finish the trilogy with Champions of the Force, and – my issues with this book notwithstanding – actually look forward to it.
wyrmbergmalcolm's review
4.0
Like with the first book in the trilogy, there is a lot going on here. Don't read the sizeable blurbs on the back of these books, they're full of spoilers.
In a way, I quite like seeing an naive and inexperienced Luke Skywalker attempting to kick-start the Jedi academy. On the other hand, the whole 'teaching' process he uses is very Zen and airy-fairy. These guys are supposed to be Jedi not a bunch of hippies. There doesn't seem to be much instructing beyond 'Go out into the jungle and find yourself'. I also don't really buy that, even after a mysterious and horrific death, they all don't just move on out of there or face the threat at all.
Jaina and Jacen have an interesting little 'adventure' in the bowels of Coruscant. It's always interesting to see what's going on down there, even if the whole stint didn't really amount to much.
The other main theme throughout this book is the ownership of the Millennium Falcon as Han and Lando repeatedly gamble for her. It certainly shows which of the two is the better friend to the other.
In a way, I quite like seeing an naive and inexperienced Luke Skywalker attempting to kick-start the Jedi academy. On the other hand, the whole 'teaching' process he uses is very Zen and airy-fairy. These guys are supposed to be Jedi not a bunch of hippies. There doesn't seem to be much instructing beyond 'Go out into the jungle and find yourself'. I also don't really buy that, even after a mysterious and horrific death, they all don't just move on out of there or face the threat at all.
Jaina and Jacen have an interesting little 'adventure' in the bowels of Coruscant. It's always interesting to see what's going on down there, even if the whole stint didn't really amount to much.
The other main theme throughout this book is the ownership of the Millennium Falcon as Han and Lando repeatedly gamble for her. It certainly shows which of the two is the better friend to the other.
novelinsights's review against another edition
3.0
Again, a fun jaunt into the Star Wars universe. This time, however, I feel I was slightly less than ecstatic with some of the plot decisions that Anderson made. At the beginning of the book, one of Luke's trainees was acting as the major source of tension at the Jedi Academy; by the end of the book, that role had been transferred almost needlessly to a completely different character. The second character effectively abandoned his entire personality almost instantly to take on the personality of the character that originally served that role, and this disappointed me. I liked the character better as he was originally, and while I think the decision to change him would have been fine if developed properly, I wanted to see more of a transitional period rather than a direct jump. Frankly, I think we would have been better off if the first character had never existed at all and the whole span of the book was just devoted to the slow development of the second character, because I'm left at the end wondering what the point of having two really was in the first place.
Another issue that I had with this plot was the constant gambling between Han and Lando over ownership of the Millenium Falcon. I know that both characters gamble a lot and both characters also love the Falcon, but it felt unrealistically comical--almost cartoonish--that they were gambling so frequently. The first instance, especially, also felt out of character for Han, who was rushing around to get to Leia after she was in a flying accident, only to drop everything and play cards.
There were also, as in the previous book, a few instances here and there of repetitive/awkward language. "He was stunned to feel ____. It stunned him." Okay, we get it. He's feeling a little stunned. This wasn't too painfully common, but it was noticeable and still bears mentioning. There were some unnecessary exclamation points, too.
All in all, I enjoyed the read, but I'm definitely not taking the trilogy too seriously, either.
Another issue that I had with this plot was the constant gambling between Han and Lando over ownership of the Millenium Falcon. I know that both characters gamble a lot and both characters also love the Falcon, but it felt unrealistically comical--almost cartoonish--that they were gambling so frequently. The first instance, especially, also felt out of character for Han, who was rushing around to get to Leia after she was in a flying accident, only to drop everything and play cards.
There were also, as in the previous book, a few instances here and there of repetitive/awkward language. "He was stunned to feel ____. It stunned him." Okay, we get it. He's feeling a little stunned. This wasn't too painfully common, but it was noticeable and still bears mentioning. There were some unnecessary exclamation points, too.
All in all, I enjoyed the read, but I'm definitely not taking the trilogy too seriously, either.
thejordanhughes's review against another edition
2.0
This was a mess of a plot. If it was not part of the star wars eu I would have stopped reading this book. Only good parts are far and between.
samanthaig's review against another edition
adventurous
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.0
This was a mess of bad writing, bad dialogue, and poorly put together plot lines. I was expecting much more from this.
juicepouch's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.5
saracinesca's review against another edition
2.0
Il primo libro aveva una trama ben delineata: Han veniva fatto prigioniero durante una missione diplomatica, Luke cercava candidati per la sua accademia jedi, Leia tentava di recuperare il tempo perduto per due anni con i bambini senza toglierne altro, prezioso, ai suoi doveri come ministro della Nuova Repubblica (yep, non il massimo della storyline per lei ma lasciamo stare). Nascevano nuovi problemi capitolo dopo capitolo, ovviamente, ma restava tutto molto coerente.
Qua non so bene cosa sia successo, decisamente troppe trame, troppi avvenimenti che si ammassano l’uno sull’altro, alcuni anche abbastanza noiosi (la parte di Wedge e Qwi Xux) e ripetivi (Han e Lando che continuano a giocarsi il Falcon ancora e ancora andando avanti letteralmente per tutto il libro — NB solo l’idea di vedere Han giocarsi a Sabacc il FALCON per nessun motivo fa abbastanza ridere, se non si hanno idee per i personaggi sarebbe meglio non prendere l’impegno di scrivere una trilogia su di loro). Alla lunga diventa noioso leggere 3 pagine di introspezione di un personaggio che ripete sempre le solite cose, sembra di leggere il tema di un ragazzino delle medie che cerca di riempire tutte le pagine per prendere un voto alto.
Ci sono veramente troppi riferimenti ai film, anche nel primo libro c’erano ma davvero non così TANTI. È una cosa che mi annoia un po’ in realtà, in qualsiasi contesto, lo trovo quasi un espediente pigro per conquistarsi l’affetto dei lettori. Eppure basterebbe scrivere avventure e personaggi coerenti, davvero non è così difficile come sembra.
Il pupillo di Han/miglior allievo di Luke che cede al lato oscuro doveva stare al centro del racconto ma avviene tutto così in fretta e un po’ troppo in là con la trama per risultare vincente. Eppure era una bella idea, con un potenziale enorme ma vabbè, vediamo come si evolve la cosa nell’ultimo libro.
Ultima cosa ma non per importanza: erano gli anni ‘90, certo, ma devo dire che leggere questi libri nel 2020 porta a storcere il naso fin troppe volte. 30 anni fa non ci si rendeva conto del problema, è evidente, magari qualcuno non se ne rende conto neanche ora, ma certe frasi buttate lì senza pensarci sono veramente sessiste. Thank God nel tempo ci siamo evoluti abbastanza così da acquistare questa consapevolezza? Ci siamo evoluti veramente, tho?
Qua non so bene cosa sia successo, decisamente troppe trame, troppi avvenimenti che si ammassano l’uno sull’altro, alcuni anche abbastanza noiosi (la parte di Wedge e Qwi Xux) e ripetivi (Han e Lando che continuano a giocarsi il Falcon ancora e ancora andando avanti letteralmente per tutto il libro — NB solo l’idea di vedere Han giocarsi a Sabacc il FALCON per nessun motivo fa abbastanza ridere, se non si hanno idee per i personaggi sarebbe meglio non prendere l’impegno di scrivere una trilogia su di loro). Alla lunga diventa noioso leggere 3 pagine di introspezione di un personaggio che ripete sempre le solite cose, sembra di leggere il tema di un ragazzino delle medie che cerca di riempire tutte le pagine per prendere un voto alto.
Ci sono veramente troppi riferimenti ai film, anche nel primo libro c’erano ma davvero non così TANTI. È una cosa che mi annoia un po’ in realtà, in qualsiasi contesto, lo trovo quasi un espediente pigro per conquistarsi l’affetto dei lettori. Eppure basterebbe scrivere avventure e personaggi coerenti, davvero non è così difficile come sembra.
Il pupillo di Han/miglior allievo di Luke che cede al lato oscuro doveva stare al centro del racconto ma avviene tutto così in fretta e un po’ troppo in là con la trama per risultare vincente. Eppure era una bella idea, con un potenziale enorme ma vabbè, vediamo come si evolve la cosa nell’ultimo libro.
Ultima cosa ma non per importanza: erano gli anni ‘90, certo, ma devo dire che leggere questi libri nel 2020 porta a storcere il naso fin troppe volte. 30 anni fa non ci si rendeva conto del problema, è evidente, magari qualcuno non se ne rende conto neanche ora, ma certe frasi buttate lì senza pensarci sono veramente sessiste. Thank God nel tempo ci siamo evoluti abbastanza così da acquistare questa consapevolezza? Ci siamo evoluti veramente, tho?
rhubarb1608's review against another edition
4.0
Apparently anywhere from six months to a year may have gone by since Jedi Search. (Within the first few chapters, Luke observes that it's been 11 years since the Battle of Yavin, while book 1 was 7 years + 3 years since Yavin.) Han Solo has been getting young Kyp Durron a taste of freedom after the ravages of the Kessel spice mines; he and Leia are still adapting to actually raising their two-year-old twins while Leia takes on increasing responsibility under a withdrawn Mon Mothma's leadership. Luke Skywalker has added to the number of Jedi trainees, having assembled quite a number of them at his Jedi "praxeum" on Yavin IV. Although Gantoris becomes increasingly creepy, no one notices anything untoward until it is too late . . . Also running amok, the crazed Admiral Daala, who has spent ten years in isolation at the secret Imperial base hidden in the Maw black hole cluster. She and her small fleet of Star Destroyers are determined to cause as much trouble as possible for the rebellion, while the present head of the Imperial faction -- a warlord in charge of the Imperial training planet on Carida -- is desperately seeking out Vader's youngest grandson, Anakin Solo. Whew! When I took this book out of storage, opened it up, and took a deep sniff, I was so transported to being twelve in the Champaign County Public Library. Back then, my method of finding new Star Wars stuff was to walk briskly through the stacks at CCL -- this tiny library has never separated things by genre, only hardback vs paperback -- and look for the Star Wars stamp on a spine. It was January 3, 1998, and I wrote in my diary, "Kari drove Dad & I to pick up Heather. We stopped at the library and I got 'Dark Apprentice'." Heather was my ten-year-old niece. Mostly what I remember is ignoring her the entire night in favor of reading. I sat next to my closet door, slightly cracked, to read by the fluorescent light with my knees up to my chest. Heather's adenoidal snoring hummed in the background as I turned pages, breathless with shock as Luke fell into a coma and the vengeful spirit of Exar Kun seduced Ganatos and Kyp Durron to the dark side and destruction. Nevertheless, it was three days for me to finish the 300-page book. On January 6, I wrote, "Today was good, I finished Dark Apprintace, Dad checked out Champions of the Force for me. [...] Almost done with Champions of the Force. I’m discovering all kinds of interesting info. I have to watch Jedi." CCL didn't own the first book, just the last two in paperback, and I literally cried the day I came in to check out Dark Apprentice and found they had discarded the faded paperback. The scent of the book doesn't change. I had never really considered just how much fantastic stuff my imagination culled form this trilogy, including the mysterious Massassi structures of Yavin IV, the power of holocrons, the disembodied and disgruntled spirit of Exar Kun -- the dark and terrifying spice mines of Kessel, the intrigue of Maw Installation -- but there is plenty to love. And, yes, even though this the fifth time I've read this book over a period of 16 years, I gasped out loud when Lando challenged Han to another round of sabacc to determine ownership of the Falcon.
This book was responsible for me thinking Kevin J. Anderson was my favorite author for a long time. Now, I find his portrayal of female characters (specifically Daala, a cliche "strong female character" who got her position by sleeping with a nasty old man and who checks herself out in the mirror thinking about her hair a lot) pretty cringe-worthy, but putting that aside . . . I love this book!
This book was responsible for me thinking Kevin J. Anderson was my favorite author for a long time. Now, I find his portrayal of female characters (specifically Daala, a cliche "strong female character" who got her position by sleeping with a nasty old man and who checks herself out in the mirror thinking about her hair a lot) pretty cringe-worthy, but putting that aside . . . I love this book!
urbino's review against another edition
adventurous
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.0