A review by verkisto
The Desperate Mission by Jude Watson

3.0

The Last of the Jedi is also the last of Jude Watson's books for the Expanded Universe. That's kind of sad, since her books have been consistently good, but considering she wrote over 40 books for the EU, maybe she was happy to move on to something else. The Desperate Mission is the first of ten books, and brings us up to speed on what Obi-Wan's been doing since the end of Revenge of the Sith. The answer? Not much.

Granted, he's not supposed to be doing much, other than laying low and keeping an eye on the Skywalkers on Tatooine. It wouldn't be much of a story if all we saw was Obi-Wan spying on the Skywalkers, so Watson gets him involved with something bigger, which is spreading the seeds of what will become the Rebel Alliance. His first job is to find Ferus, an old apprentice who left the Jedi Order before it fell to the Sith.

Watson has revisited her characters from other series before, so it's no surprise that she brings Ferus back into her story. She mentions several other characters from her earlier series, mostly when she summarizes what has come before the events in the book, and even then, it's only in passing. She introduces new characters too (who, I assume, will continue to appear in the series), but it's fun seeing the links back to her earlier stories.

The Desperate Mission is a fun read, though it's strange seeing Obi-Wan leaving his responsibilities on Tatooine for another mission. Watson gives him a good enough reason to go, but for as much as other books have talked about how seriously he took his task of protecting Luke, it's at odds with how his character has been built up in other works. Plus, for someone who's trying to remain low-key and not advertise himself as a Jedi, Obi-Wan sure is quick to use his lightsaber. Still, fans of the EU who enjoyed Watson's other works should enjoy the book.