A review by verkisto
The Evil Experiment by Jude Watson
3.0
The Evil Experiment begins moments after the end of The Deadly Hunter, with Qui-Gon abducted by the assassin that was chasing them in that book. Obi-Wan has to solve the mystery of why he was abducted, find out where he was taken, and figure out how to get him out. The book is as much a mystery as its predecessor, but isn't laid out to be so; instead, it's more a straightforward adventure as Obi-Wan is on the trail.
Also like The Deadly Hunter, this book ends on a cliffhanger, making this book part of a series within a series. This isn't the first time Watson has done this in Jedi Apprentice, but this does mark the biggest story she's put together for the series so far. It will be at least three books, and this one is its own The Empire Strikes Back, since it ends on a dark moment. It's not quite as bleak (which I assume is due to the intended audience for the book), but it's not a happy ending, either. Even knowing that Obi-Wan and Qui-Gon will survive through to the events of The Phantom Menace doesn't lessen the tension of the story.
Characters presented in The Deadly Hunter are fleshed out more here, marking another trend Watson began with the series. Short as the individual books are, the multi-book arcs that feature the same cast of characters allows for development that wouldn't be feasible in one standalone book. It's brilliantly executed, and I wonder if this is standard among other juvenile series, or if this is just something Watson does. Either way, it's effective.
This series is at its best when the stories carry over from book-to-book. Considering that this book is the middle of a trilogy (tetralogy? Maybe more?), it raises the bar of the books that will follow. I feel my expectations for the rest of the series are justified.
Also like The Deadly Hunter, this book ends on a cliffhanger, making this book part of a series within a series. This isn't the first time Watson has done this in Jedi Apprentice, but this does mark the biggest story she's put together for the series so far. It will be at least three books, and this one is its own The Empire Strikes Back, since it ends on a dark moment. It's not quite as bleak (which I assume is due to the intended audience for the book), but it's not a happy ending, either. Even knowing that Obi-Wan and Qui-Gon will survive through to the events of The Phantom Menace doesn't lessen the tension of the story.
Characters presented in The Deadly Hunter are fleshed out more here, marking another trend Watson began with the series. Short as the individual books are, the multi-book arcs that feature the same cast of characters allows for development that wouldn't be feasible in one standalone book. It's brilliantly executed, and I wonder if this is standard among other juvenile series, or if this is just something Watson does. Either way, it's effective.
This series is at its best when the stories carry over from book-to-book. Considering that this book is the middle of a trilogy (tetralogy? Maybe more?), it raises the bar of the books that will follow. I feel my expectations for the rest of the series are justified.