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3.29 AVERAGE
3.29 AVERAGE
Star Wars Legends Project #1
Background: Dawn of the Jedi: Into the Void came out in May of 2013, and was written by [a:Tim Lebbon|59165|Tim Lebbon|http://www.goodreads.com/assets/nophoto/nophoto-M-50x66-e07624dc012f2cce49c7d9aa6500c6c0.jpg]. Lebbon is apparently quite prolific in the horror/sci-fi/fantasy genres, with a whole boatload of novels and short stories to his name. His flagship works include entries in the "Hellboy" franchise, some movie novelizations, the "Toxic City" trilogy (described as Hunger Games meets X-Men), and "The Secret Adventures of Jack London" series. This is his first Star Wars book. He has apparently expressed interest in building it into a trilogy around the main character, Lanoree Brock. Heaven forbid. Happily, no such trilogy has yet been announced, and despite the "Dawn of the Jedi" heading, which would seem to indicate some kind of series potential, the book appears (for now) to be a stand-alone tie-in to the Dawn of the Jedi comic book series.
As one might guess from the whole "Dawn" thing, this is very early days in the Star Wars universe. The earliest days to-date, in fact: 25,000 before the Battle of Yavin (not counting a brief 35,000-years-before-Yavin flashback at the beginning of the comic series). It's so early, actually, that the "Jedi" of the title don't even exist. The main characters are "Je'daii," ancestors of the familiar space monks so distant, they don't even wield lightsabers yet (though they do carry metal swords that can somehow deflect blaster bolts, so it's basically the same thing). Actually, the "Dawn" part of the title is inaccurate, too. When this novel takes place, the Je'daii have already existed for 10,000 years (i.e., longer than recorded human history), so all in all, it's kind of a stupid title. Aside from the Force, and a few familiar species (Wookiees, Twi'leks, etc.), there's not a lot here that is recognizably "Star Wars." The events of the novel's climax seem to overlap with the first Dawn of the Jedi comic, [b:Star Wars: Dawn of the Jedi, Vol. 1 - Force Storm|15745903|Star Wars Dawn of the Jedi, Vol. 1 - Force Storm|John Ostrander|http://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1341962456s/15745903.jpg|21435916], and that's about all the connection you'll find to the rest of the Expanded Universe.
Summary: Lanoree Brock is a promising young Je'daii Ranger (now that's a good title), the equivalent of a Knight, roaming the various planets of the Tython system in the deep core of the galaxy, where the Je'daii order was gathered and formed, and which they and their non-Force-wielding neighbors alike are unable to leave (long, somewhat goofy story, don't worry about it).
Lanoree is surprised to be recalled suddenly to Tython for an urgent secret meeting with several Je'daii masters. It seems that her younger brother, Dalien, whom she has believed dead for several years, is now the deranged leader of a cult bent on returning to the homes their ancestors left millenia before by activating an ancient alien stargate that may or may not exist, using ancient technology that may or may not work, which may or may not create a black hole and swallow the entire system when activated. Turns out, even though he went to extreme lengths to fake his own death and disappear, Dalien's still using his real name. Anyway, Lanoree is tasked with finding him and stopping him by whatever means necessary. As she pursues him from planet to planet in the company of a shady Je'daii informer, flashbacks reveal the rift between the siblings that led to Dalien's apparent death years before.
Review: A lot of Star Wars writers spend too much time describing and explaining things that every fan already knows about, as though their reader may not have seen a Star Wars movie before. Lebbon kind of does the opposite. Most readers are not going to know anything about this time and place in the Star Wars universe, and yet he is constantly dropping references to seemingly important people, places, and events that we know nothing about. I never knew when he was being vague about something that would be explained later, when the reference was just unimportant background flavor, and when he was talking about something I ought to know about but don't. Partway through the book, I got frustrated and found the introductory issue (#00) to the Dawn of the Jedi comics, which has a series of entries introducing the setting. That helped a lot, but I shouldn't have to go "check the encyclopedia" (or buy a comic book) to get my bearings.
But then, I didn't feel a whole lot of connection to the story anyway, because Lanoree Brock may well be the least sympathetic protagonist in Star Wars history; even worse than the protagonist of Episode I (cuz there wasn't one . . . get it?). Aside from just being badly written (wooden, flat, humorless), she is incredibly self-absorbed, judgmental, and self-righteous, but also completely amoral. Her disdain and disregard for non-Je'daii is palpable in every scene in the book (she very slowly grows to sort of care about her sidekick, but only after he basically lays down his life for her), and her choices and actions throughout the book are highly questionable at best. That wouldn't matter so much if her character was meant to be a little ambiguous, but through it all I had the deeply unpleasant sense that I was supposed to be cheering her every move simply because she's "The Hero" and therefore her virtue is to be taken for granted. Oh, and her "special Force talent," which gets trotted out as an extremely clumsy plot device to resolve a crisis near the book's end, is creepy, disgusting, and downright evil; and also pretty much the dumbest Force-based ability ever conceived.
Of course, a lot of Lanoree's flaws are just endemic to the Je'daii themselves. I couldn't help sympathizing completely with every character or organization that attempts to cross or oppose them. They occupy the Force-heavy planet of Tython, completely aloof, while non-Je'daii have spread out to the other planets in the system. Non-Je'daii pretty much run their own affairs, but it is clear that the Je'daii treat everyone else like small children, in that they swoop in to meddle whenever they feel like it, whether asked or not, don't bother to consult the opinions of the people whose lives they're interfering with, and don't deign to offer any explanations for their actions, because after all, how could puny non-Je'daii minds comprehend anyway? They're all just completely insufferable "shut-up-I-know-best" douchebags, spouting inane, faux-deep dime-store philosophy.
Really, though, the writing just isn't good in general. It's not so much overtly wretched as it is distractingly unpolished throughout. Lebbon frequently fails do describe important visual elements of a scene (like what his main character looks like, or who she's talking to) until he's so far into a scene that it feels like an intrusion and an afterthought. He constantly uses weird turns of phrase that, while they don't stand out on their own as clearly wretched, just sound slightly wrong or assert things that don't quite make sense. The overall effect is that the flow of reading is constantly disrupted. Information is also repeated frequently, sometimes even in the form of characters repeating conversations they have already had as though they had not already had them. In other words, it's not even like he's reminding the reader in case we've forgotten. It's like he forgot that he had written it already. Finally, for some reason Lebbon decided to write all of the flashback scenes in the present tense; a bizarre, counterintuitive choice that exemplifies how off-kilter and awkward the entire reading experience is.
Above all, this story couldn't be more dull if the author had revealed everything that was going to happen from the very beginning ... Because that's what he did. Before Lanoree embarks on her mission, we know who she's after, where they are, exactly what they're up to, and where they're going to end up. And then we have to read 300 pages of rote confirmation that all of what we know is indeed correct. Lebbon keeps teasing the reader along, attempting to build suspense as though something unexpected is about to happen, only to reveal that, Surprise!, there isn't anything unexpected. Everything is exactly what it seems. Meanwhile, the flashbacks build and build toward Dalien's violent "death," treating it as though it were an event we don't already know about, and that we don't already know he faked. Yawnsville.
And, aside from being really boring, there are a couple of really glaringly obvious problems with the story as told. First, in every story ever where an organization sends people on missions, there is always a great deal of concern if they believe their agent might be emotionally compromised. This goes double for Je'daii, reliant as they are on a balanced connection to the Force, unclouded by emotion (a balance which this book goes out of its way to beat us over the head with every dang time the Force is mentioned until I wanted to scream, "Okay, I get it! The dark side tempts, the light side calls, keep the balance! I KNOW"). But somehow, the Je'daii masters think that the best idea is first to suddenly spring on Lanoree the news that her brother, whom she loved dearly and has mourned for several years, is actually alive, and then send her on a mission that will most likely result in her having to kill him. And, sure enough, she almost critically fails the mission like 4 times because, "Aw, it's my little brother!"
Second, since everyone is completely confined to a single system, every Je'daii in existence (and there seem to be at least hundreds, if not thousands of them) is pretty much right there. There are 10 planets in the Tython system, and Lanoree visits 4 of them during the course of her mission. But, even though the masters seriously believe that Dalien's success could credibly result in the destruction of the entire system and the deaths of everyone, they send her alone, and there never seems to be any backup available. Even when she informs her master that her brother has gotten away (or gotten away again), and has a significant headstart, but she knows where he's going, there's never a, "Oh, we have like 20 Je'daii hanging out on that planet already. They'll move to intercept." They even know from the very beginning, exactly where Dalien is going to end up: on their planet. And yeah, there is a sort of explanation for why they aren't just waiting there for him when he shows up, but it's pretty thin. (On the other hand, there is no explanation at all for a similar lapse by Lanoree: She arrives on a remote mining planet where her brother has landed and kills the 2 cultists guarding his ship. But rather than just stay behind and disable the getaway vehicle, then wait for him to return, she follows him, nearly dies, and lets him escape.)
The stupid thing is that there is an obvious fix for these problems, and it would have made the whole novel infinitely more compelling to boot. Why not just have Lanoree investigate "suspicious activities" by this weird new cult that no one seems to know anything about? Play up the angle that she is haunted, even damaged, by the loss of her brother, and retain the flashbacks describing how it happened. Then, big surprise: The mysterious leader of this cult IS her brother, who is still alive! And he plans to activate an ancient stargate! And this might destroy everything! Bam bam bam, you've got three major, surprising plot twists that raise the stakes as they are revealed rather than laying all the cards on the table at the outset. Plus, this eliminates the problem of why the Je'daii masters would send Lanoree after her own brother (they didn't know), casting the success of her mission into even greater doubt, and it explains why they wouldn't take the threat more seriously (they aren't aware of the severity of it).
There's a lot more I could say about why this book is so terrible, but at the end of the day, I think what damaged the experience most of all was recognizing that there was clearly a good story in here somewhere. Tim Lebbon just buried it under loads of crap rather than excavating it. I hope that the comics this novel ties into are better. And if Lanoree is a character in them, I hope she's written competently. Into the Void includes a short story, "Eruption," written by a different author and set just before the novel begins. It features Lanoree in partnership with a Twi'lek Je'daii named Hawk Ryo. And even in that brief span, her potential was obvious. A good writer could have pulled this off, they just didn't hire one.
F
Background: Dawn of the Jedi: Into the Void came out in May of 2013, and was written by [a:Tim Lebbon|59165|Tim Lebbon|http://www.goodreads.com/assets/nophoto/nophoto-M-50x66-e07624dc012f2cce49c7d9aa6500c6c0.jpg]. Lebbon is apparently quite prolific in the horror/sci-fi/fantasy genres, with a whole boatload of novels and short stories to his name. His flagship works include entries in the "Hellboy" franchise, some movie novelizations, the "Toxic City" trilogy (described as Hunger Games meets X-Men), and "The Secret Adventures of Jack London" series. This is his first Star Wars book. He has apparently expressed interest in building it into a trilogy around the main character, Lanoree Brock. Heaven forbid. Happily, no such trilogy has yet been announced, and despite the "Dawn of the Jedi" heading, which would seem to indicate some kind of series potential, the book appears (for now) to be a stand-alone tie-in to the Dawn of the Jedi comic book series.
As one might guess from the whole "Dawn" thing, this is very early days in the Star Wars universe. The earliest days to-date, in fact: 25,000 before the Battle of Yavin (not counting a brief 35,000-years-before-Yavin flashback at the beginning of the comic series). It's so early, actually, that the "Jedi" of the title don't even exist. The main characters are "Je'daii," ancestors of the familiar space monks so distant, they don't even wield lightsabers yet (though they do carry metal swords that can somehow deflect blaster bolts, so it's basically the same thing). Actually, the "Dawn" part of the title is inaccurate, too. When this novel takes place, the Je'daii have already existed for 10,000 years (i.e., longer than recorded human history), so all in all, it's kind of a stupid title. Aside from the Force, and a few familiar species (Wookiees, Twi'leks, etc.), there's not a lot here that is recognizably "Star Wars." The events of the novel's climax seem to overlap with the first Dawn of the Jedi comic, [b:Star Wars: Dawn of the Jedi, Vol. 1 - Force Storm|15745903|Star Wars Dawn of the Jedi, Vol. 1 - Force Storm|John Ostrander|http://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1341962456s/15745903.jpg|21435916], and that's about all the connection you'll find to the rest of the Expanded Universe.
Summary: Lanoree Brock is a promising young Je'daii Ranger (now that's a good title), the equivalent of a Knight, roaming the various planets of the Tython system in the deep core of the galaxy, where the Je'daii order was gathered and formed, and which they and their non-Force-wielding neighbors alike are unable to leave (long, somewhat goofy story, don't worry about it).
Lanoree is surprised to be recalled suddenly to Tython for an urgent secret meeting with several Je'daii masters. It seems that her younger brother, Dalien, whom she has believed dead for several years, is now the deranged leader of a cult bent on returning to the homes their ancestors left millenia before by activating an ancient alien stargate that may or may not exist, using ancient technology that may or may not work, which may or may not create a black hole and swallow the entire system when activated. Turns out, even though he went to extreme lengths to fake his own death and disappear, Dalien's still using his real name. Anyway, Lanoree is tasked with finding him and stopping him by whatever means necessary. As she pursues him from planet to planet in the company of a shady Je'daii informer, flashbacks reveal the rift between the siblings that led to Dalien's apparent death years before.
Review: A lot of Star Wars writers spend too much time describing and explaining things that every fan already knows about, as though their reader may not have seen a Star Wars movie before. Lebbon kind of does the opposite. Most readers are not going to know anything about this time and place in the Star Wars universe, and yet he is constantly dropping references to seemingly important people, places, and events that we know nothing about. I never knew when he was being vague about something that would be explained later, when the reference was just unimportant background flavor, and when he was talking about something I ought to know about but don't. Partway through the book, I got frustrated and found the introductory issue (#00) to the Dawn of the Jedi comics, which has a series of entries introducing the setting. That helped a lot, but I shouldn't have to go "check the encyclopedia" (or buy a comic book) to get my bearings.
But then, I didn't feel a whole lot of connection to the story anyway, because Lanoree Brock may well be the least sympathetic protagonist in Star Wars history; even worse than the protagonist of Episode I (cuz there wasn't one . . . get it?). Aside from just being badly written (wooden, flat, humorless), she is incredibly self-absorbed, judgmental, and self-righteous, but also completely amoral. Her disdain and disregard for non-Je'daii is palpable in every scene in the book (she very slowly grows to sort of care about her sidekick, but only after he basically lays down his life for her), and her choices and actions throughout the book are highly questionable at best. That wouldn't matter so much if her character was meant to be a little ambiguous, but through it all I had the deeply unpleasant sense that I was supposed to be cheering her every move simply because she's "The Hero" and therefore her virtue is to be taken for granted. Oh, and her "special Force talent," which gets trotted out as an extremely clumsy plot device to resolve a crisis near the book's end, is creepy, disgusting, and downright evil; and also pretty much the dumbest Force-based ability ever conceived.
Of course, a lot of Lanoree's flaws are just endemic to the Je'daii themselves. I couldn't help sympathizing completely with every character or organization that attempts to cross or oppose them. They occupy the Force-heavy planet of Tython, completely aloof, while non-Je'daii have spread out to the other planets in the system. Non-Je'daii pretty much run their own affairs, but it is clear that the Je'daii treat everyone else like small children, in that they swoop in to meddle whenever they feel like it, whether asked or not, don't bother to consult the opinions of the people whose lives they're interfering with, and don't deign to offer any explanations for their actions, because after all, how could puny non-Je'daii minds comprehend anyway? They're all just completely insufferable "shut-up-I-know-best" douchebags, spouting inane, faux-deep dime-store philosophy.
Really, though, the writing just isn't good in general. It's not so much overtly wretched as it is distractingly unpolished throughout. Lebbon frequently fails do describe important visual elements of a scene (like what his main character looks like, or who she's talking to) until he's so far into a scene that it feels like an intrusion and an afterthought. He constantly uses weird turns of phrase that, while they don't stand out on their own as clearly wretched, just sound slightly wrong or assert things that don't quite make sense. The overall effect is that the flow of reading is constantly disrupted. Information is also repeated frequently, sometimes even in the form of characters repeating conversations they have already had as though they had not already had them. In other words, it's not even like he's reminding the reader in case we've forgotten. It's like he forgot that he had written it already. Finally, for some reason Lebbon decided to write all of the flashback scenes in the present tense; a bizarre, counterintuitive choice that exemplifies how off-kilter and awkward the entire reading experience is.
Above all, this story couldn't be more dull if the author had revealed everything that was going to happen from the very beginning ... Because that's what he did. Before Lanoree embarks on her mission, we know who she's after, where they are, exactly what they're up to, and where they're going to end up. And then we have to read 300 pages of rote confirmation that all of what we know is indeed correct. Lebbon keeps teasing the reader along, attempting to build suspense as though something unexpected is about to happen, only to reveal that, Surprise!, there isn't anything unexpected. Everything is exactly what it seems. Meanwhile, the flashbacks build and build toward Dalien's violent "death," treating it as though it were an event we don't already know about, and that we don't already know he faked. Yawnsville.
And, aside from being really boring, there are a couple of really glaringly obvious problems with the story as told. First, in every story ever where an organization sends people on missions, there is always a great deal of concern if they believe their agent might be emotionally compromised. This goes double for Je'daii, reliant as they are on a balanced connection to the Force, unclouded by emotion (a balance which this book goes out of its way to beat us over the head with every dang time the Force is mentioned until I wanted to scream, "Okay, I get it! The dark side tempts, the light side calls, keep the balance! I KNOW"). But somehow, the Je'daii masters think that the best idea is first to suddenly spring on Lanoree the news that her brother, whom she loved dearly and has mourned for several years, is actually alive, and then send her on a mission that will most likely result in her having to kill him. And, sure enough, she almost critically fails the mission like 4 times because, "Aw, it's my little brother!"
Second, since everyone is completely confined to a single system, every Je'daii in existence (and there seem to be at least hundreds, if not thousands of them) is pretty much right there. There are 10 planets in the Tython system, and Lanoree visits 4 of them during the course of her mission. But, even though the masters seriously believe that Dalien's success could credibly result in the destruction of the entire system and the deaths of everyone, they send her alone, and there never seems to be any backup available. Even when she informs her master that her brother has gotten away (or gotten away again), and has a significant headstart, but she knows where he's going, there's never a, "Oh, we have like 20 Je'daii hanging out on that planet already. They'll move to intercept." They even know from the very beginning, exactly where Dalien is going to end up: on their planet. And yeah, there is a sort of explanation for why they aren't just waiting there for him when he shows up, but it's pretty thin. (On the other hand, there is no explanation at all for a similar lapse by Lanoree: She arrives on a remote mining planet where her brother has landed and kills the 2 cultists guarding his ship. But rather than just stay behind and disable the getaway vehicle, then wait for him to return, she follows him, nearly dies, and lets him escape.)
The stupid thing is that there is an obvious fix for these problems, and it would have made the whole novel infinitely more compelling to boot. Why not just have Lanoree investigate "suspicious activities" by this weird new cult that no one seems to know anything about? Play up the angle that she is haunted, even damaged, by the loss of her brother, and retain the flashbacks describing how it happened. Then, big surprise: The mysterious leader of this cult IS her brother, who is still alive! And he plans to activate an ancient stargate! And this might destroy everything! Bam bam bam, you've got three major, surprising plot twists that raise the stakes as they are revealed rather than laying all the cards on the table at the outset. Plus, this eliminates the problem of why the Je'daii masters would send Lanoree after her own brother (they didn't know), casting the success of her mission into even greater doubt, and it explains why they wouldn't take the threat more seriously (they aren't aware of the severity of it).
There's a lot more I could say about why this book is so terrible, but at the end of the day, I think what damaged the experience most of all was recognizing that there was clearly a good story in here somewhere. Tim Lebbon just buried it under loads of crap rather than excavating it. I hope that the comics this novel ties into are better. And if Lanoree is a character in them, I hope she's written competently. Into the Void includes a short story, "Eruption," written by a different author and set just before the novel begins. It features Lanoree in partnership with a Twi'lek Je'daii named Hawk Ryo. And even in that brief span, her potential was obvious. A good writer could have pulled this off, they just didn't hire one.
F
On May 7, 2013, the eve of the Disney/Lucasfilm merge which altered the Star Wars canon forever, Del Rey published Dawn of the Jedi: Into the Void by Tim Lebbon. Taking place the furthest in history of any publication before it, the story centers around Lanoree Brock, a Ranger of the Je’daii (how George Lucas’ early Star Wars drafts spelled it) Order on the planet Tython. Lanoree and her late brother Dalien were raised on Tython with their Je’daii parents. While Lanoree embraced the ways of the Order and the Force, Dalien’s distaste and ultimate antagonism towards the Force is the central conflict in the novel. As it turns out, Dalien’s alive and well and part of a cult who’s determined to activate a hypergate in the depths of Tython which could expand their galactic reach but could prove deadly to the entire planet. Armed with her training, a strong connection to the Force and her sword, Brock is called upon by the Je’daii council to embark on her most personal mission yet; find and take down her flesh and blood before doom befalls everyone.
Unlike the implications of its title, Dawn of the Jedi: Into the Void doesn’t delve into the creation and early days of the Jedi Order, which in all honesty threw me at first but once I got into the book I enjoyed it for what it actually is: an adventure story that shows the struggle between loyalty to family versus duty. As a protagonist, Lanoree has the perfect mixture of confidence, curiosity, and self-doubt that makes the book both entertaining and mysterious. Into the Void has a level of unpredictability that makes it wildly entertaining; aside from a few elements like the planet Tython and the Force, almost nothing else makes the book feel like Star Wars, something that works in its favor. What ended up being the most surprising about Into the Void is, like all good Star Wars stories, that it’s a story seeped in humanity and emotion. Lanoree’s mission, while it takes her to various locales, ends up being more about her emotional growth and maturity than anything else. She learns that everyone’s journeys (including her own) can be filled with heartache and joy, with failures and successes. In the end Lanoree has to make some difficult decisions about what it means to find balance in the Force, even if the consequences of doing so cause destruction.
For Star Wars fans who have been enjoying The High Republic, Dawn of the Jedi: Into the Void will likely feel like a similar reading experience. Set apart from the main stories of the galaxy far, far away and dealing with themes of belief and identity, it has touches of familiarity but tells a brand new story in a largely foreign landscape. For all of this, Tim Lebbon’s writing could often do with some injections of urgency; it wasn’t until the last third of the book or so when things really started to ramp up. This book also deals with Lanoree’s past and I wish these time jumps were handled in a way that helped readers keep track of each story; smaller chapters or even just headers would have been greatly helpful.
Dawn of the Jedi: Into the Void was a part of the latest wave of The Essential Legends Collection editions released in May 2023, which includes new cover art by Steph Littlebird.
Unlike the implications of its title, Dawn of the Jedi: Into the Void doesn’t delve into the creation and early days of the Jedi Order, which in all honesty threw me at first but once I got into the book I enjoyed it for what it actually is: an adventure story that shows the struggle between loyalty to family versus duty. As a protagonist, Lanoree has the perfect mixture of confidence, curiosity, and self-doubt that makes the book both entertaining and mysterious. Into the Void has a level of unpredictability that makes it wildly entertaining; aside from a few elements like the planet Tython and the Force, almost nothing else makes the book feel like Star Wars, something that works in its favor. What ended up being the most surprising about Into the Void is, like all good Star Wars stories, that it’s a story seeped in humanity and emotion. Lanoree’s mission, while it takes her to various locales, ends up being more about her emotional growth and maturity than anything else. She learns that everyone’s journeys (including her own) can be filled with heartache and joy, with failures and successes. In the end Lanoree has to make some difficult decisions about what it means to find balance in the Force, even if the consequences of doing so cause destruction.
For Star Wars fans who have been enjoying The High Republic, Dawn of the Jedi: Into the Void will likely feel like a similar reading experience. Set apart from the main stories of the galaxy far, far away and dealing with themes of belief and identity, it has touches of familiarity but tells a brand new story in a largely foreign landscape. For all of this, Tim Lebbon’s writing could often do with some injections of urgency; it wasn’t until the last third of the book or so when things really started to ramp up. This book also deals with Lanoree’s past and I wish these time jumps were handled in a way that helped readers keep track of each story; smaller chapters or even just headers would have been greatly helpful.
Dawn of the Jedi: Into the Void was a part of the latest wave of The Essential Legends Collection editions released in May 2023, which includes new cover art by Steph Littlebird.
adventurous
informative
inspiring
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
slow-paced
Pretty good for the “first” Star Wars book in the timeline. Which apparently Into the Void is not the first Star Wars book and there is actual a prequel series before this one, but THIS book is a part of the Legends timeline, so good enough for me.
I really liked how the Je’daii practice both the light and dark side and then are expected to continually practice the balance, versus only learning one side of the force, as well as how they train the Rangers (aka Jedi Knights). Understanding both sides would give them a more complete understanding for some future Jedi. The dark side is feared by most of the Jedi, so eliminating that mystery seems like it would be better? I don’t know. Guess that is the age old discussion of the future Jedi Order.
Lanoree Brock is a good character, but not as well developed as say Timothy Zahn’s characters. Overall it was an alright book and an entertaining read. If you’re reading them in order of the timeline, this book is a cool must read.
I really liked how the Je’daii practice both the light and dark side and then are expected to continually practice the balance, versus only learning one side of the force, as well as how they train the Rangers (aka Jedi Knights). Understanding both sides would give them a more complete understanding for some future Jedi. The dark side is feared by most of the Jedi, so eliminating that mystery seems like it would be better? I don’t know. Guess that is the age old discussion of the future Jedi Order.
Lanoree Brock is a good character, but not as well developed as say Timothy Zahn’s characters. Overall it was an alright book and an entertaining read. If you’re reading them in order of the timeline, this book is a cool must read.
I am going to start the review by saying that I have not ever read the comics, so my only introduction into the Dawn of Jedi series has been this book. I am also a huge Star Wars fan having read almost all of the Extended Universe books, except the comics. With all that written, I don't know what it was about this book, but I just couldn't get into it.
This takes place way before the great Sith wars, before the Old Republic books, there are no lightsabers, but there are Je'daii who carry both the light and the dark side of the Force at the same time. Lanoree Block is strong with the Force, but her brother Dal seems to be lacking Force abilities. Both have been trained, but only one came forth. The other was thought to be dead until Lanoree is sent on a special mission find her brother and stop him.
The story jumps back and forth between Lanoree's quest and her training. There is a good deal of action, but I found Lanoree's character lacking for some reason. It wasn't the writing, the writing was well done, but I think it was just the story. I honestly found myself not really caring if she found her brother or not. The interaction between Lanoree and her co-pilot were fun, but I just didn't feel any sympathy for them during the battles. I found myself wanting more of the past story of Lanoree and Dal's training sessions. I looked forward to ending the quest chapters for the training chapters/sections. That seemed to be a better story to me. Lanoree is described as a loner for the Je'daii and she seems annoyed by the fact that she has a co-pilot and as the reader, so did I. I imagined the story if it is almost all flashback until she reaches the planet. Instead, we get an ok action story, mixed with some good training session narratives.
I really wanted to like this more since the timeline seems like a great place to tell a story. How did the light and the dark form? When did lightsabers form? What was the first fight like? These would make great stories, but this wasn't it.
This takes place way before the great Sith wars, before the Old Republic books, there are no lightsabers, but there are Je'daii who carry both the light and the dark side of the Force at the same time. Lanoree Block is strong with the Force, but her brother Dal seems to be lacking Force abilities. Both have been trained, but only one came forth. The other was thought to be dead until Lanoree is sent on a special mission find her brother and stop him.
The story jumps back and forth between Lanoree's quest and her training. There is a good deal of action, but I found Lanoree's character lacking for some reason. It wasn't the writing, the writing was well done, but I think it was just the story. I honestly found myself not really caring if she found her brother or not. The interaction between Lanoree and her co-pilot were fun, but I just didn't feel any sympathy for them during the battles. I found myself wanting more of the past story of Lanoree and Dal's training sessions. I looked forward to ending the quest chapters for the training chapters/sections. That seemed to be a better story to me. Lanoree is described as a loner for the Je'daii and she seems annoyed by the fact that she has a co-pilot and as the reader, so did I. I imagined the story if it is almost all flashback until she reaches the planet. Instead, we get an ok action story, mixed with some good training session narratives.
I really wanted to like this more since the timeline seems like a great place to tell a story. How did the light and the dark form? When did lightsabers form? What was the first fight like? These would make great stories, but this wasn't it.
This was a fun audiobook read. Between the excellent narration and the sound effects, I was fully immersed in the story very quickly.
The characters were relatable and pulled at your emotions. Even characters you didn't expect. I really liked the FMC as a character. She was strong and yet flawed. I felt very bad for her in so many ways. Her brother was an interesting story and I enjoyed the flash backs.
The characters were relatable and pulled at your emotions. Even characters you didn't expect. I really liked the FMC as a character. She was strong and yet flawed. I felt very bad for her in so many ways. Her brother was an interesting story and I enjoyed the flash backs.