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mirrorballmusings's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
graff_fuller's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
He said what?
As I closed the book...I am thinking to myself. You know, I cannot start ANOTHER book...until I figure out what JUST happened on the last page...has lasting results.
I mean. That WAS a cliffhanger. Now, obviously...I know that something happens in a positive light, since...since I know the history of Star Wars...BUT this was an amazing place to end the book.
I can understand Obi-Wan from kid...trying to be an adult...and standing on principles, but I also felt SO bad for Qui-Gon...for he really does love Obi-Wan.
If you do not know, these two characters are my favourite in all of Star Wars. That is why I'm actually reading this Middle Grade series. BUT, now that I am reading the series, I am learning SO much about their interactions and adventures.
Pulls on my heartstrings, for sure.
These books are short, like novella short, but they really DO pack a punch.
Very well written (so far).
As I closed the book...I am thinking to myself. You know, I cannot start ANOTHER book...until I figure out what JUST happened on the last page...has lasting results.
I mean. That WAS a cliffhanger. Now, obviously...I know that something happens in a positive light, since...since I know the history of Star Wars...BUT this was an amazing place to end the book.
I can understand Obi-Wan from kid...trying to be an adult...and standing on principles, but I also felt SO bad for Qui-Gon...for he really does love Obi-Wan.
If you do not know, these two characters are my favourite in all of Star Wars. That is why I'm actually reading this Middle Grade series. BUT, now that I am reading the series, I am learning SO much about their interactions and adventures.
Pulls on my heartstrings, for sure.
These books are short, like novella short, but they really DO pack a punch.
Very well written (so far).
alywt's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
dragonsickle's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.75
jaredkwheeler's review against another edition
3.0
Star Wars Legends Project #45
Background: The Defenders of the Dead came out in December 1999. It was written by [a:Jude Watson|11912|Jude Watson|https://d.gr-assets.com/authors/1403530689p2/11912.jpg].
The Defenders of the Dead begins pretty shortly after the end of [b:The Mark of the Crown|20086|The Mark of the Crown (Star Wars Jedi Apprentice, #4)|Jude Watson|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1374774448s/20086.jpg|21281] (my review), 44 years before the Battle of Yavin and 12 years before The Phantom Menace. The only major recurring character (other than Obi-Wan and Qui-Gon) is the Jedi Knight Tahl, a close friend of Qui-Gon's who played a major role in [b:Star Wars: Jedi, Volume 1: The Dark Side|12986712|Star Wars Jedi, Volume 1 The Dark Side|Scott Allie|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1403207410s/12986712.jpg|18146361] (my review).
Summary: For their latest mission, Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan hurry to the planet Melida/Daan, which has spent centuries locked in a civil war so acrimonious that the two sides can't even agree on their planet's name. Their goal is to rescue Tahl, a Jedi who was originally dispatched to mediate the conflict until she was taken hostage. But the situation becomes cloudy when they meet the Young, a third faction formed by the children of the warring sides whose only goal is to bring the conflict to an end. Despite Qui-Gon's reminders that the Jedi cannot take sides, Obi-Wan feels inexorably drawn to the Young, placing the two Jedi at odds with each other and threatening their still-fragile bond.
Review: I remembered how this story ended ("ended" I should say, since it stops on a major cliffhanger), but not a lot about how it reached that point. Basically, Watson's task in this story is drive Obi-Wan to make a decision that would have been completely unthinkable for him as the story opens, and really the ultimate success or failure of the story hinges on whether you believe that choice. And I was surprised to find that I did.
You can feel the target audience of these books in view on every page, with its central theme of "Don't trust anyone over 30" front and center. The appeal of that mantra doesn't mean quite as much to me now as it did, say, 15 years ago, when I was reading these in high school. It would have been a particularly neat trick if she could have written a story where the teenage me agreed completely with Obi-Wan's point-of-view while the adult me sided with Qui-Gon. But I still think Obi-Wan is basically right, even though it's not quite so simple as that. What surprised me, though, was that Watson didn't quite go so far as to turn Obi-Wan (and the readers) totally against Qui-Gon. I still see where he's coming from.
Still, without giving too much away, even though Qui-Gon has several layers of reasonable-sounding excuses built around his decision, it ultimately boils down to placing the well-being of his friend above the lives of defenseless children. He's right about a lot of things, but Obi-Wan is the one whose moral compass is pointing true-north here. Which is good, since he's the primary point-0f-view character in this series. Qui-Gon's ridiculous Jedi "Prime Directive" crap is nonsensical in this situation, and (as Obi-Wan rightly points out) he himself flouts it constantly when it suits him. In the end, he is as emotionally-compromised as Obi-Wan is, he just can't see it. And that's mostly because of the baggage his character has been carting around for the entire series, so we get it. The character work here is great, and continues to be the prime selling-point of these books.
Great characters aren't the only selling-point, mind you, but in case you didn't notice from the summary, this book returns once again to the well for a pretty boilerplate YA plot. There aren't a whole lot of surprises or innovations on that front. Obi-Wan's two new friends are so flat that I frequently had trouble remembering which was which (the boy character, Nield, is slightly more headstrong and embittered than the girl character, Cerasi, but they have very few scenes without one another). And practically none of the other characters get any personality at all.
There's some other weirdness that bothered me only slightly here and there . . . Like the "laserballs" that the Young use to simulate a fake attack. They fire them out of slingshots, and the balls make laserfire sounds as they bounce off of various surfaces. Is this supposed to be a common toy? It must be, since the Young seem to have several hundred of them sitting around to use, but if they're that common, shouldn't it be pretty easy to see through the diversion? The logistics just don't make any sense.
Also, I haven't mentioned this before, but it becomes more and more noticeable with every book: Lightsabers don't work right in this series. I assume that's because, if they were working right, the books would be a lot more violent, but it's still pretty distracting. They basically function like blunt electro-swords. They don't really cut through anything in combat, though they might leave a scorch mark or a minor burn. They don't play a huge role in any story so far, but when they do come out, they feel kind of useless. There's a fine line that writers have to walk in not making the Jedi characters feel overpowered, but Watson often errs too far in the other direction. At one point in this story, Obi-Wan and Qui-Gon need to deal with 2 ordinary guards, but they have to stop and devise a plan and then wait for another character to distract the guards before rushing out to take them by surprise. ... Really? Qui-Gon should be able to take on 3 or 4 times that many single-handed (and has).
Anyway, these are fairly insignificant quibbles, and I'm anxious to move on to the next book and remember how the rest of this story plays out. On the whole, the series continues to improve. Onward!
C
Background: The Defenders of the Dead came out in December 1999. It was written by [a:Jude Watson|11912|Jude Watson|https://d.gr-assets.com/authors/1403530689p2/11912.jpg].
The Defenders of the Dead begins pretty shortly after the end of [b:The Mark of the Crown|20086|The Mark of the Crown (Star Wars Jedi Apprentice, #4)|Jude Watson|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1374774448s/20086.jpg|21281] (my review), 44 years before the Battle of Yavin and 12 years before The Phantom Menace. The only major recurring character (other than Obi-Wan and Qui-Gon) is the Jedi Knight Tahl, a close friend of Qui-Gon's who played a major role in [b:Star Wars: Jedi, Volume 1: The Dark Side|12986712|Star Wars Jedi, Volume 1 The Dark Side|Scott Allie|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1403207410s/12986712.jpg|18146361] (my review).
Summary: For their latest mission, Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan hurry to the planet Melida/Daan, which has spent centuries locked in a civil war so acrimonious that the two sides can't even agree on their planet's name. Their goal is to rescue Tahl, a Jedi who was originally dispatched to mediate the conflict until she was taken hostage. But the situation becomes cloudy when they meet the Young, a third faction formed by the children of the warring sides whose only goal is to bring the conflict to an end. Despite Qui-Gon's reminders that the Jedi cannot take sides, Obi-Wan feels inexorably drawn to the Young, placing the two Jedi at odds with each other and threatening their still-fragile bond.
Review: I remembered how this story ended ("ended" I should say, since it stops on a major cliffhanger), but not a lot about how it reached that point. Basically, Watson's task in this story is drive Obi-Wan to make a decision that would have been completely unthinkable for him as the story opens, and really the ultimate success or failure of the story hinges on whether you believe that choice. And I was surprised to find that I did.
You can feel the target audience of these books in view on every page, with its central theme of "Don't trust anyone over 30" front and center. The appeal of that mantra doesn't mean quite as much to me now as it did, say, 15 years ago, when I was reading these in high school. It would have been a particularly neat trick if she could have written a story where the teenage me agreed completely with Obi-Wan's point-of-view while the adult me sided with Qui-Gon. But I still think Obi-Wan is basically right, even though it's not quite so simple as that. What surprised me, though, was that Watson didn't quite go so far as to turn Obi-Wan (and the readers) totally against Qui-Gon. I still see where he's coming from.
Still, without giving too much away, even though Qui-Gon has several layers of reasonable-sounding excuses built around his decision, it ultimately boils down to placing the well-being of his friend above the lives of defenseless children. He's right about a lot of things, but Obi-Wan is the one whose moral compass is pointing true-north here. Which is good, since he's the primary point-0f-view character in this series. Qui-Gon's ridiculous Jedi "Prime Directive" crap is nonsensical in this situation, and (as Obi-Wan rightly points out) he himself flouts it constantly when it suits him. In the end, he is as emotionally-compromised as Obi-Wan is, he just can't see it. And that's mostly because of the baggage his character has been carting around for the entire series, so we get it. The character work here is great, and continues to be the prime selling-point of these books.
Great characters aren't the only selling-point, mind you, but in case you didn't notice from the summary, this book returns once again to the well for a pretty boilerplate YA plot. There aren't a whole lot of surprises or innovations on that front. Obi-Wan's two new friends are so flat that I frequently had trouble remembering which was which (the boy character, Nield, is slightly more headstrong and embittered than the girl character, Cerasi, but they have very few scenes without one another). And practically none of the other characters get any personality at all.
There's some other weirdness that bothered me only slightly here and there . . . Like the "laserballs" that the Young use to simulate a fake attack. They fire them out of slingshots, and the balls make laserfire sounds as they bounce off of various surfaces. Is this supposed to be a common toy? It must be, since the Young seem to have several hundred of them sitting around to use, but if they're that common, shouldn't it be pretty easy to see through the diversion? The logistics just don't make any sense.
Also, I haven't mentioned this before, but it becomes more and more noticeable with every book: Lightsabers don't work right in this series. I assume that's because, if they were working right, the books would be a lot more violent, but it's still pretty distracting. They basically function like blunt electro-swords. They don't really cut through anything in combat, though they might leave a scorch mark or a minor burn. They don't play a huge role in any story so far, but when they do come out, they feel kind of useless. There's a fine line that writers have to walk in not making the Jedi characters feel overpowered, but Watson often errs too far in the other direction. At one point in this story, Obi-Wan and Qui-Gon need to deal with 2 ordinary guards, but they have to stop and devise a plan and then wait for another character to distract the guards before rushing out to take them by surprise. ... Really? Qui-Gon should be able to take on 3 or 4 times that many single-handed (and has).
Anyway, these are fairly insignificant quibbles, and I'm anxious to move on to the next book and remember how the rest of this story plays out. On the whole, the series continues to improve. Onward!
C
hstapp's review against another edition
3.0
I didn't like this story when I started, but it really starts to wind up toward the end. It's the best ending of all the books so far. It's also the first cliff-hanger.
s0litarytea's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
fandom4ever's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
inspiring
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
‘The Defenders of the Dead’ is the fifth book in the Jedi Apprentice series. This time we see Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan arriving on Melida/Daan, a planet that has been in civil war for centuries over something that no one remembers. Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan are here to retrieve a fellow Jedi who was to oversee possible peace talks between the Melida and the Daan. But naturally, the two immediately find themselves in the thick of things when they meet the Young, the children who wish to see an end to the fighting.
Qui-Gon believes that they can’t interfere in the planet’s affairs as they haven’t requested aid and are hurting no one but themselves. But Obi-Wan gets caught up in the fervor and passion of the Young and wants to help them out. I really liked the idea that Qui-Gon is having to say no to a situation because of the fact that they’re Jedi, but realizing why the plight affects Obi-Wan so much. And from the other side, it was great having Obi-Wan call out that Qui-Gon often breaks the rules or goes against what the Jedi Council says if he believes they’re in the wrong.
The Master and Padawan clearly struggle to communicate and trust between the two is stretched to the limit. I could just feel the tension and uncertainty and I was constantly wondering how things were going to end up. The ending was unbelievable with what happened between Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan. With a huge cliffhanger, I’m so ready to read the next book and see how this conflict plays out!!
Qui-Gon believes that they can’t interfere in the planet’s affairs as they haven’t requested aid and are hurting no one but themselves. But Obi-Wan gets caught up in the fervor and passion of the Young and wants to help them out. I really liked the idea that Qui-Gon is having to say no to a situation because of the fact that they’re Jedi, but realizing why the plight affects Obi-Wan so much. And from the other side, it was great having Obi-Wan call out that Qui-Gon often breaks the rules or goes against what the Jedi Council says if he believes they’re in the wrong.
The Master and Padawan clearly struggle to communicate and trust between the two is stretched to the limit. I could just feel the tension and uncertainty and I was constantly wondering how things were going to end up. The ending was unbelievable with what happened between Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan. With a huge cliffhanger, I’m so ready to read the next book and see how this conflict plays out!!