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cyris_reads's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
1.5
k_auck's review against another edition
challenging
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
kb_208's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
This was a little difficult to start. Something about the writing style. But once I was able to adjust it turned out to be a rather interesting story. After a dire warning from a former acquaintance of Han's, he and Leia go to planet to look for what he was warning about. It was the planet where the children of the Jedi were supposed to have been hiding. Meanwhile, one of Luke's jedi students, who is mostly a droid, has visions of coordinates, which takes them to a giant asteroid that almost shoots them down, but they land on a nearby planet. From there the asteroid, which turns out to be a decades old ship run by AI on a mission to destroy the children of the jedi, which started before the emperor was destroyed. Luke and his companions get picked up by this ship and some of them are brainwashed into thinking they have a mission to destroy the jedi. On board with many different creatures, Luke must find a way to stop the ship.
Pretty good story overall. I enjoyed it.
Pretty good story overall. I enjoyed it.
twilliamson's review against another edition
1.0
If Vonda McIntyre's The Crystal Star is the worst Star Wars novel ever, Barbara Hambly's Children of the Jedi desperately wants to try for the title. It takes a lot to make a book as bad, but virtually every decision Hambly makes for Luke and company is the wrong one.
The books flaws are multitude, but it bears repeating the worst parts:
1) Luke spends the entire novel passing out, with almost every one of his chapters ending with a fade to black, as if that helps build narrative tension;
2) Luke has a wet dream about a Force ghost and then decides he is in love with her in spite of only knowing her Force ghost self for, like, three days or something;
3) Luke's Force ghost girlfriend inhabits the corpse of one of Luke's hot students;
4) Luke's hot student only gives up her body because she can't stand to live without her boyfriend;
5) Mara Jade gets mad that she wasn't the only one of Palpatine's side pieces;
6) The main antagonist of the novel doesn't show up for almost 60% of the book;
7) The main crisis of the book is yet another stupid megaweapon lost by the Emperor somewhere;
8) The main antagonist of the novel is believed to be one of Palpatine's heirs;
9) The book retroactively decides that the Galactic Civil War, which ended prior to Kevin J. Anderson's Jedi Academy trilogy, isn't over anymore;
10) All the Gamorreans speak Galactic Basic now for no reason whatsoever;
11) Tusken Raiders show up on the giant spaceship superweapon, along with Jawas and plant people, for absolutely no fucking reason other than to add length to an already overwrought plot.
It's also worth noting that while Hambly is objectively the best prose writer of any of the Star Wars books from 1976-1995, the book's plot doesn't start to come together until well over half the book's length, at which point the development of the plot barely resembles its original premise. In spite of her prose, the book is a slog of boring exposition, ridiculous subplot elements that do nothing to serve the characters or the setting of Star Wars and its lore, and simply retcons whole developments of the expanded universe timeline for no appreciable reason. Some of that blame surely lies at the feet of the editorial team behind the expanded universe's design, but it seems objectionable that Hambly simply ignores much of the expanded lore in order to shoehorn whatever bad idea she has for the universe--whether it be on the nature of Gamorrean speech or on the truly abominable sexual politics of this novel.
But, hey, at least the cover's bitchin', right?
The books flaws are multitude, but it bears repeating the worst parts:
1) Luke spends the entire novel passing out, with almost every one of his chapters ending with a fade to black, as if that helps build narrative tension;
2) Luke has a wet dream about a Force ghost and then decides he is in love with her in spite of only knowing her Force ghost self for, like, three days or something;
3) Luke's Force ghost girlfriend inhabits the corpse of one of Luke's hot students;
4) Luke's hot student only gives up her body because she can't stand to live without her boyfriend;
5) Mara Jade gets mad that she wasn't the only one of Palpatine's side pieces;
6) The main antagonist of the novel doesn't show up for almost 60% of the book;
7) The main crisis of the book is yet another stupid megaweapon lost by the Emperor somewhere;
8) The main antagonist of the novel is believed to be one of Palpatine's heirs;
9) The book retroactively decides that the Galactic Civil War, which ended prior to Kevin J. Anderson's Jedi Academy trilogy, isn't over anymore;
10) All the Gamorreans speak Galactic Basic now for no reason whatsoever;
11) Tusken Raiders show up on the giant spaceship superweapon, along with Jawas and plant people, for absolutely no fucking reason other than to add length to an already overwrought plot.
It's also worth noting that while Hambly is objectively the best prose writer of any of the Star Wars books from 1976-1995, the book's plot doesn't start to come together until well over half the book's length, at which point the development of the plot barely resembles its original premise. In spite of her prose, the book is a slog of boring exposition, ridiculous subplot elements that do nothing to serve the characters or the setting of Star Wars and its lore, and simply retcons whole developments of the expanded universe timeline for no appreciable reason. Some of that blame surely lies at the feet of the editorial team behind the expanded universe's design, but it seems objectionable that Hambly simply ignores much of the expanded lore in order to shoehorn whatever bad idea she has for the universe--whether it be on the nature of Gamorrean speech or on the truly abominable sexual politics of this novel.
But, hey, at least the cover's bitchin', right?
graff_fuller's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
informative
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
This is my further adventure into Star Wars: Legends books/series. For the most part, this story is good, it is just jammed packed with names, places, characters that don't really effect the plot movement.
It is good to be around the main characters, but their adversaries didn't do much for me.
I like seeing Luke being battered/bruised and not at his A game. That was good.
This illusive Calista is a good character in this trilogy. I also am interested in the AI development within this period of time in Star Wars.
Love the banter (as always) with Leia and Han.
The Eye of Palpatine was something I had not known, before reading this book...which was interesting...the collosal asteroid type Death Star. Boy the Empire had a one track mind. Jeesh.
This being the first book in a trilogy, at this rating, I would usually dip out, but I think I will push through. I might regret it, but having exposure to the Legends era/Extended Universe, when it was the Wild West...and pretty much ANYTHING goes mentality of what could happen in a story.
#BucketListathon2023
It is good to be around the main characters, but their adversaries didn't do much for me.
I like seeing Luke being battered/bruised and not at his A game. That was good.
This illusive Calista is a good character in this trilogy. I also am interested in the AI development within this period of time in Star Wars.
Love the banter (as always) with Leia and Han.
The Eye of Palpatine was something I had not known, before reading this book...which was interesting...the collosal asteroid type Death Star. Boy the Empire had a one track mind. Jeesh.
This being the first book in a trilogy, at this rating, I would usually dip out, but I think I will push through. I might regret it, but having exposure to the Legends era/Extended Universe, when it was the Wild West...and pretty much ANYTHING goes mentality of what could happen in a story.
#BucketListathon2023
radioisasoundsalvation's review against another edition
adventurous
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.5
kellylynnthomas's review against another edition
5.0
Even though it might not quite fit in with the continuity created by the prequel trilogy, I thought this was a cool story.
silpulsar_lexapro's review against another edition
1.0
Hot mess express. It usually takes a day or two for me to read a Star Wars book. This one took a month. Too many drawn out descriptions and a storyline with Luke on some weird ghost ship. Boring as hell. One of my least favorite so far.
cm1987's review against another edition
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.25
O god, it took ages to finish this book! I looove Star Wars but damnn this felt like Slow Wars🤣
snazel's review against another edition
2.0
C-390 was good. Learned interesting stuff about stormtrooper indoctrination. General plot and also the romance was passe at best.