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3.29 AVERAGE
3.29 AVERAGE
I feellll conflicted.
How much weight should I give to the fact that my hour on wookiepedia answered so few of my questions? Like -- how much context am I missing, how much is important, and should I be able to read this book without reading the comics? I think yes, right. This is the only novel written in this era (Dawn of the Jedi), and whether or not there were others planned...all beyond me. This is it, though there are events that clearly were covered in the expansive comics that are touched on in the novel (the Despot Wars, namely, though this part I thought made enough sense -- deadly conflict between the Je'daii and Rival Gangs (and this is a question for another time, but literally 100% of the economics of star wars is run by gangsters, and not even like someone's idealistic idea of Gangsters (businessmen they don't like) but like actual honest to God crime lords), that don't seem to have enough context for me to grasp, and things that are important, like, uh, well, the whole CRUX of the conflict. And this is Star Wars. I take a lot on faith. Except one of things I take on faith is that it's possible to travel through star systems in hyperspace, so telling me, suddenly, that it was possible (somehow?) in the past, since all these alien species that we know the home worlds of (including a SITH, who live at the other end of the Galaxy from a lot of these other species -- also, can someone confirm whether or not the Sith Species have been totally retconned or not?) but not only is it NOT possible for the people of Tython, but it's actively dangerous, not just because Dalien might consume the system in a black hole if he tries. Sorry, I'm following so far (Force Users - probably, took the Tho Yor (???) into the system and now we're all kinda stuck here), but LIKE DALIEN, I'm both confused and concern about the way that no one, especially the Je'daii, have no interest in leaving Tython at all. Like, you aren't going to come to this novel as your first star wars experience, but I am in desperate need of some context!!
Beyond that, this is fun, dynamic, well paced and well written. Loranee is bristly and a little unlikable but she works well as the MC here because of it, not in spite of it. She desperately wants to get her brother back but she also is deeply and instinctively committed to the Force, which puts her into deep conflict with her brother, who wants everything she thinks she doesn't. As Star Wars is, fundamentally, an exercise in "what does this tell me about Anakin Skywalker?" to me, this tells me A LOT about Anakin Skywalker, namely: Anakin doesn't just resent the Jedi at times but the Force itself; Gee I Sure Hope No One Tries To Create Life for Themselves and Accidentally Impregnates A Random Woman On Tatooine; But in the final moments, I get the sense that Loranee more than Dalien is our Anakin character (this is a potentially unfair reading but idc; star wars is about Him); she is defending an obviously corrupt order at the expense of someone she loves deeply and even kills him; she does it in anger. She doesn't lose herself in her anger and I see a future for her to understand the complexities of what is happening on Tython in a way that Anakin barely manages to understand his own position after 25 years of Absolute Misery. Maybe love of family IS the greatest force in the galaxy. Someone should make a movie about that even.
How much weight should I give to the fact that my hour on wookiepedia answered so few of my questions? Like -- how much context am I missing, how much is important, and should I be able to read this book without reading the comics? I think yes, right. This is the only novel written in this era (Dawn of the Jedi), and whether or not there were others planned...all beyond me. This is it, though there are events that clearly were covered in the expansive comics that are touched on in the novel (the Despot Wars, namely, though this part I thought made enough sense -- deadly conflict between the Je'daii and Rival Gangs (and this is a question for another time, but literally 100% of the economics of star wars is run by gangsters, and not even like someone's idealistic idea of Gangsters (businessmen they don't like) but like actual honest to God crime lords), that don't seem to have enough context for me to grasp, and things that are important, like, uh, well, the whole CRUX of the conflict. And this is Star Wars. I take a lot on faith. Except one of things I take on faith is that it's possible to travel through star systems in hyperspace, so telling me, suddenly, that it was possible (somehow?) in the past, since all these alien species that we know the home worlds of (including a SITH, who live at the other end of the Galaxy from a lot of these other species -- also, can someone confirm whether or not the Sith Species have been totally retconned or not?) but not only is it NOT possible for the people of Tython, but it's actively dangerous, not just because Dalien might consume the system in a black hole if he tries. Sorry, I'm following so far (Force Users - probably, took the Tho Yor (???) into the system and now we're all kinda stuck here), but LIKE DALIEN, I'm both confused and concern about the way that no one, especially the Je'daii, have no interest in leaving Tython at all. Like, you aren't going to come to this novel as your first star wars experience, but I am in desperate need of some context!!
Beyond that, this is fun, dynamic, well paced and well written. Loranee is bristly and a little unlikable but she works well as the MC here because of it, not in spite of it. She desperately wants to get her brother back but she also is deeply and instinctively committed to the Force, which puts her into deep conflict with her brother, who wants everything she thinks she doesn't. As Star Wars is, fundamentally, an exercise in "what does this tell me about Anakin Skywalker?" to me, this tells me A LOT about Anakin Skywalker, namely: Anakin doesn't just resent the Jedi at times but the Force itself; Gee I Sure Hope No One Tries To Create Life for Themselves and Accidentally Impregnates A Random Woman On Tatooine; But in the final moments, I get the sense that Loranee more than Dalien is our Anakin character (this is a potentially unfair reading but idc; star wars is about Him); she is defending an obviously corrupt order at the expense of someone she loves deeply and even kills him; she does it in anger. She doesn't lose herself in her anger and I see a future for her to understand the complexities of what is happening on Tython in a way that Anakin barely manages to understand his own position after 25 years of Absolute Misery. Maybe love of family IS the greatest force in the galaxy. Someone should make a movie about that even.
DNF at 28%.
First foray into Star Wars novels was a dud, unfortunately. Started as a buddy read, and was hoping the narration by a narrator I love (January LaVoy) would get me into it, but alas, she constantly pronounced Jedi like Je-daai which drove me BONKERS and i never got into the story or the characters.
First foray into Star Wars novels was a dud, unfortunately. Started as a buddy read, and was hoping the narration by a narrator I love (January LaVoy) would get me into it, but alas, she constantly pronounced Jedi like Je-daai which drove me BONKERS and i never got into the story or the characters.
I really enjoyed this. The audiobook was fantastic! It just did not have a lot of depth and character connection. I found myself confused at parts. It was still a good read and a great introduction to the Star Wars world!
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This was a delightful listen. Star Wars is hard to beat when it comes to the audiobook experience, there are blaster bolts, ambient sounds, and narrators at the top of their game. If you are a fan of science fiction this is a good book for you to try out. The Star Wars-ness of this novel is not as present as others you might read because it is set so far in the past and about an order that is the predecessor to the Jedi. There is no squabble between Sith and Jedi but there is an emphasis on balance in the force which is a good metaphor for living everyday life. As a fan of the universe that George Lucas, I found this book to entertaining though not ground breaking.
Not very long ago, in a place very, very near...
I decided I'd try to do a read-through of all of the Star Wars Expanded Universe novels (minus the young adult books). Star Wars was the defining series of my childhood; I read more of the books then than was probably normal.
And with the announcement of the new Star Wars movies coming out and the banishment of those books from canon into the 'Legends' realm, I've decided I should read them all in timeline order.
Also because I've apparently lost my mind. We'll see how long this takes, and how long it lasts...
Without further ado: This book was just not good. It was an interesting concept: explore the origins of the Jedi Knights (here spelled Je'daii because it was so long ago!). It takes place in an isolated system where random Force-sensitive races have been gathered together by unknown powers and left there. Rather than strive for the light side and dark side, they aim to achieve a balance between the two, symbolized by the two moons Ashla and Bogan.
And here's where I start to have problems - all that takes place in a comic series. I only learned about it by diving into Wookiepedia (and I do love that name!), but there was no explanation in the book itself. Just: here, you're in an isolated system with all of these familiar races. In my eyes, it would've been better served to have just one existing race, or introduce new races, or whatever, than try to shoehorn Wookies and Twi'leks and especially the Noghri into the story. It kind of seems like "but we've always done it this way...!" storytelling. It's Star Wars so we need to have these races because.
Also, going gritty and having a 'balanced' protagonist between light and dark didn't do it for me. Star Wars to me is the struggle of light against dark, not finding the balance; Zoroastrianism more than Buddhism. Now, having morally ambiguous characters is one thing, but main characters? It feels too foreign. I found myself rooting against the protagonist near the end - it was an odd feeling.
I get what the author was trying to do, and it had potential, but everything just felt - forgive the pun - forced. It was an attempt to make everything feel normal when twenty-five thousand years earlier things should have been wildly different. It tried to do both: "Look, different Jedi! Different philosophies! But don't worry! Your alien friends are still here! The technology is still somehow mostly the same!"
It tried to do both and failed - much like the protagonist.
A generous one star out of five.
Hopefully the books get better soon. Timothy Zahn can't get here fast enough, if this continues.
I decided I'd try to do a read-through of all of the Star Wars Expanded Universe novels (minus the young adult books). Star Wars was the defining series of my childhood; I read more of the books then than was probably normal.
And with the announcement of the new Star Wars movies coming out and the banishment of those books from canon into the 'Legends' realm, I've decided I should read them all in timeline order.
Also because I've apparently lost my mind. We'll see how long this takes, and how long it lasts...
Without further ado: This book was just not good. It was an interesting concept: explore the origins of the Jedi Knights (here spelled Je'daii because it was so long ago!). It takes place in an isolated system where random Force-sensitive races have been gathered together by unknown powers and left there. Rather than strive for the light side and dark side, they aim to achieve a balance between the two, symbolized by the two moons Ashla and Bogan.
And here's where I start to have problems - all that takes place in a comic series. I only learned about it by diving into Wookiepedia (and I do love that name!), but there was no explanation in the book itself. Just: here, you're in an isolated system with all of these familiar races. In my eyes, it would've been better served to have just one existing race, or introduce new races, or whatever, than try to shoehorn Wookies and Twi'leks and especially the Noghri into the story. It kind of seems like "but we've always done it this way...!" storytelling. It's Star Wars so we need to have these races because.
Also, going gritty and having a 'balanced' protagonist between light and dark didn't do it for me. Star Wars to me is the struggle of light against dark, not finding the balance; Zoroastrianism more than Buddhism. Now, having morally ambiguous characters is one thing, but main characters? It feels too foreign. I found myself rooting against the protagonist near the end - it was an odd feeling.
I get what the author was trying to do, and it had potential, but everything just felt - forgive the pun - forced. It was an attempt to make everything feel normal when twenty-five thousand years earlier things should have been wildly different. It tried to do both: "Look, different Jedi! Different philosophies! But don't worry! Your alien friends are still here! The technology is still somehow mostly the same!"
It tried to do both and failed - much like the protagonist.
A generous one star out of five.
Hopefully the books get better soon. Timothy Zahn can't get here fast enough, if this continues.
A fast paced, easy read. First book in the Expanded Universe, chronologically at least, set some 20,000 years before the main story. It was neat to see these early Jedi and how different their approach to the Force once was. Story is compelling enough, only ~144 more books to go!
My first foray into the Star Wars and it was a treat. We are in a world that is set 25,793 BBY (before the Battle of Yavin) (years) before A New Hope, so many years before Luke and Leia, years before Anakin and shockingly years before lightsabers and hyperspace!!!! Shocking I know the things we take for granted!
I really did not know what to expect with my intro into such a vast world and I have to say I really did enjoy it. This book took me a bit longer than normal to finish because one I was savouring every word and reading for me, but more importantly there is so much information to take in you really can not rush it. I was already re-reading a few paragraphs to make sure everything sunk in.
A Je’daii needs nothing but confidence and comfort in the Force. Clothes for warmth, a ship to travel in, food for energy, water to slake thirst, a sword to stab, a blaster to shoot … all these are luxuries. The Force is everything, and without it, we are nothing. —Master Shall Mar, “A Life in Balance,” 7,538 TYA
Into the Void (Star Wars: Dawn of the Jedi, #1) by Tim Lebbon 42%
Yes!! You have read that correctly, the Jedi are known as Je’daii! This was another surprise I did not expect and it was really interesting to see how the “Jedi” was originally seen! And, and this is a biggie, the Sith, yes the Sith, “work” with the Je’daii! Just WOW!! This was just awesome to take in and enjoy. I mean I am a geek of Star Wars but not so much where I know all the different planets, races and terminology which is why I wanted to read the books so I could learn more. Every description is so vivid that, I was constantly hearing the noises of the ships at wars in space or the sound of a lightsaber in the battles (even though there were none!) and the sound of the blasters! This is how much I was immersed in this book, I felt like I could picture the worlds, the battles and witness heartbreak first hand. The imagination of Lebbon just has no bounds, I really would love to sit down and pick his brain to how he created this story in the Star Wars universe!
I loved following the story of Lanoree and her brother Dal, we flit between the past where we see the duo starting their journey to becoming a Je’daii Ranger but we know that a tragedy occurs. In the same chapter, the story flows to the present day where we see Lanoree travelling around on a top-secret mission at the request of the Je’daii council because only she has the power to see this through to the end. I got to see new worlds that I have not been exposed to before and meet her droid, Ironholgs and her new companion, who I had a soft spot for but really shouldn’t, Tre Sana!
I love checking out the Star Wars wiki when reading as it gave me so much more information. I am a bit gutted this is the last time I get to see the sassy Lanoree on my journey. At the beginning she is hard, and when she has to work with Tre, god she does resist this! She hates to be near this Twi’lek rogue, but slowly over time they get settled into an easy rhythm with their banter and a blossoming friendship.
I also have to say that man some of this book was brutal! Some of the deaths that happened saw my hand fly to my mouth in shock, did not see them coming especially in the way they happened. Plus when reading the journey of Lanoree and Dal to the different temples, I mean wow thank god I did not have to do this! Some of the creatures were terrifying, horrific and you wonder how they would survive!
There is also a little nod to the future in this book and boy did I love this little Easter Egg. The only thing I will say is she keeps dreaming of a “cloaked figure” OMG!!!!
So my first top dipping adventure has been a blast, we have had so much brutality, we have had an adventure to other planets, we met new species, we stopped the universe from being destroyed and this was the first book in over 300 books to go!
She was on a mission to prevent a possible system-wide catastrophe, and whether everyone in the system knew that or not did not detract from its importance.
Into the Void (Star Wars: Dawn of the Jedi, #1) by Tim Lebbon 24%
I thought this was a pretty cool story. It was the first contact I had with the Dawn of the Jedi storyline, so I had to look up some things to learn what they were. They don't really explain the back story behind the Jedi in this story or really what TYA is. It's a good read, though. I wish the were going to be continuing writing these novels, but that probably won't be happening because of the new movies and the canon/legends thing.
adventurous
slow-paced
Three stars - I'm giving this book the benefit of the doubt and saying that I found the second half so boring because I listened to it during a long, hot, boring car trip.
There were some good things, but I can safely say I am extremely glad this was not my first Star Wars book. I don't think I would have finished it, and I certainly never would have picked up another.
There were some good things, but I can safely say I am extremely glad this was not my first Star Wars book. I don't think I would have finished it, and I certainly never would have picked up another.