hstapp's review against another edition
3.0
3 stories about 3 different sets of Jedi. The first half of this book focusses on Dooku, making the Obi-wan and Anakin sections pretty short. I think this works out pretty well, because we know so little of Dooku. It's nice to experience a little bit more from that side.
I felt like it was well done, and I really enjoyed the stories.
I felt like it was well done, and I really enjoyed the stories.
waden34's review
3.0
I really wanted to like this book more than I did, but I really can't think of anything that stood out to make it better. It wasn't bad, just wasn't fantastic either.
Developing more of the back story of some of the Jedi from the movies and following them through the years was interesting but I think the lack of focus on a story hurts it a bit.
Developing more of the back story of some of the Jedi from the movies and following them through the years was interesting but I think the lack of focus on a story hurts it a bit.
verkisto's review
3.0
I hadn't planned on reading any of the juvenile books in the Expanded Universe. There are enough adult books in the EU as it is, and I didn't feel like doubling the number of books to read was a good idea. As I came out of the Clone Wars and into the period before A New Hope, I wondered about Boba Fett. Research showed that his story was told more in the juvenile books, written by Terry Bisson and Elizabeth Hand, and I thought, what the hell. Since I've been reading these books in chronological order, I decided to go back to the beginning of the timeline of the juvenile books and get caught up before moving on to The Last Jedi, the next book in the series for adults.
Legacy of the Jedi is about Lorian Nod, who trained to be a Jedi alongside Dooku. The story is comprised of four short stories, the first about Lorian and Dooku, the second about Dooku and Qui-Gon, the third about Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan, and the last about Obi-Wan and Anakin. Lorian is the thread that connects the stories, and we see his growth over the years as he encounters these characters. I liked seeing Watson develop the character, as well as how she characterized the other characters we already know. She did a great job capturing Dooku's inflexibility and distance especially. Lorian isn't drawn as well as any of the others, but he's not the point-of-view character for any of the stories, so we only see him as the other characters do.
Watson writes with economy, which could be due to her target audience. I'm used to books written for younger readers using broad strokes for characters, settings, and theme, but on the flip side there are books like the Harry Potter series and Carl Hiaasen's children's books where the books are no less than what would be written for adults. Either way, Watson's style doesn't sacrifice anything to make her story accessible to her readers. It's definitely on a different level from, say, Karen Traviss' work, but it's no less interesting or engaging because of it.
The stories themselves seem to be simplistic, with the resolutions being obvious at the start of each. Each story was about 50 pages long, so Watson didn't have a lot of time to develop any individual story. The action is minimal, and the danger is rarely life-threatening. Still, she manages to touch on themes of environmentalism, corruption, and politics without forcing them into the stories, which I liked.
It's hard for me to judge the book as a kids' book, since I don't read many of them, but I thought it was an enjoyable read. Watson's written a ton of books in the juvenile EU, and if this is a sample of what she can do, I'm looking forward to the rest of them.
Legacy of the Jedi is about Lorian Nod, who trained to be a Jedi alongside Dooku. The story is comprised of four short stories, the first about Lorian and Dooku, the second about Dooku and Qui-Gon, the third about Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan, and the last about Obi-Wan and Anakin. Lorian is the thread that connects the stories, and we see his growth over the years as he encounters these characters. I liked seeing Watson develop the character, as well as how she characterized the other characters we already know. She did a great job capturing Dooku's inflexibility and distance especially. Lorian isn't drawn as well as any of the others, but he's not the point-of-view character for any of the stories, so we only see him as the other characters do.
Watson writes with economy, which could be due to her target audience. I'm used to books written for younger readers using broad strokes for characters, settings, and theme, but on the flip side there are books like the Harry Potter series and Carl Hiaasen's children's books where the books are no less than what would be written for adults. Either way, Watson's style doesn't sacrifice anything to make her story accessible to her readers. It's definitely on a different level from, say, Karen Traviss' work, but it's no less interesting or engaging because of it.
The stories themselves seem to be simplistic, with the resolutions being obvious at the start of each. Each story was about 50 pages long, so Watson didn't have a lot of time to develop any individual story. The action is minimal, and the danger is rarely life-threatening. Still, she manages to touch on themes of environmentalism, corruption, and politics without forcing them into the stories, which I liked.
It's hard for me to judge the book as a kids' book, since I don't read many of them, but I thought it was an enjoyable read. Watson's written a ton of books in the juvenile EU, and if this is a sample of what she can do, I'm looking forward to the rest of them.
brinx's review
adventurous
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
dostojevskijs's review
3.0
The Jedi Order believes in the Force and the light; serving as peacekeepers for the galaxy. They believe in the light side of the Force and diplomacy. But being a Jedi, especially a young one, is not an easy destiny. The dark side is strong and tempting, very much so for someone still not in tune with their emotions. It's something every generation goes through, something they all must conquer.
Padawan Dooku has big dreams for himself; dreams that are threatened when his best friend steals an old Sith holocron and blames it on Dooku. It is the start of a friendship break up that will haunt them for generations to come.
It's a deeper look into Dooku's life before he turned rogue and a very good one at that; in four different moments in his life, we get to see snippets of who he is and who he is about to become. We learn about his time as a Padawan and his first taste of the Dark side but we also get to see him as a Jedi Master with his own Padawan as well as as a general and finally, as a Sith Lord.
But at the same time, the deep look isn't perhaps as deep as one would hope and it's hard to truly feel attached to any of the characters unless previously known. Although, it's a great introduction to the wider world of Star Wars for younger readers which is undoubtedly the age group it is meant for – and I have a feeling my review would be quite different if I was ten years younger.
And what Watson lacks in character depth, she surely gains in environment depth – she paints up a casual but detailed image of what the surroundings are like and I often find myself wanting to know more. That is definitely something a book like this should do.
Padawan Dooku has big dreams for himself; dreams that are threatened when his best friend steals an old Sith holocron and blames it on Dooku. It is the start of a friendship break up that will haunt them for generations to come.
It's a deeper look into Dooku's life before he turned rogue and a very good one at that; in four different moments in his life, we get to see snippets of who he is and who he is about to become. We learn about his time as a Padawan and his first taste of the Dark side but we also get to see him as a Jedi Master with his own Padawan as well as as a general and finally, as a Sith Lord.
But at the same time, the deep look isn't perhaps as deep as one would hope and it's hard to truly feel attached to any of the characters unless previously known. Although, it's a great introduction to the wider world of Star Wars for younger readers which is undoubtedly the age group it is meant for – and I have a feeling my review would be quite different if I was ten years younger.
And what Watson lacks in character depth, she surely gains in environment depth – she paints up a casual but detailed image of what the surroundings are like and I often find myself wanting to know more. That is definitely something a book like this should do.
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