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3.19 AVERAGE
3.19 AVERAGE
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
This was such a fun little read and was comfortingly consistent with the style of adventures in this universe. It was well written, perfectly paced, and the expansion on Luminara and Barriss's characters was so enjoyable. The overall characterization in this may be my favorite of the SW novels I've read so far.
Bullet Review:
First time in hard back soon after the book was released (felt disappointed).
Second time in abridged audiobook when I reread Star Wars over a summer (didn’t like it).
Third time in ebook (enjoyed WAY more).
There are things that haven’t changed - for the most part, I don’t like Tooqii, I’m disgusted by the two “mentally challenged” Alwari (and what it means when they are magically healed by the person they kidnapped), some of Anakin’s dialogue is weird, any scene with Soergg and his majordomo or any scene with Shu Mai is pointless and goes nowhere.
But there are things that have changed - Foster has a style of writing that I found more charming this time around, the dynamics between the Jedi were great, the savannah adventure was good (once we skipped over the fluff setup), I loved the attention to detail Foster gave to the evolution on Ansion and the creature/alien/society construction, there were some GREAT lines in this book that just really made you think, I honestly prefer this scaled back version of what the Jedi are capable of (even if it’s weird because Starkiller can wrest a Star Destroyer from space while Barriss is kidnapped as if she were part of the Three Stooges).
So I’m bumping this to 3 stars. It’s rough (I firmly believe that any and all portions of the book from Ogomoor or Shu Mai should not have been included as they just weakened the story and take away from the parts that are interesting), it’s hastily wrapped up but there’s something really nice about seeing more Jedi that just Obi-Wan and Anakain, esp when it’s Luminara and Barriss, two of my favorite Jedi.
Full Review:
Ansion is considering seceding from the Republic. Because of its many important alliances, the Republic fears a mass exodus. The Jedi react by sending Obi-Wan and Anakin to join Luminara Unduli and Barris Offee on the planet Ansion and negotiate with the Anwali.
This marks the third time I've read this book. The first time I read this book was shortly after it was released on hardback. I seem to recall vividly seeing this in Costco and snatching up the hardcover. When I read the book though, I wondered when the story would start - until I realized that the trek to the Borokii was the story. When I realized that, I settled into the book and enjoyed it for what it was.
The second time I read this, back ~2010, I listened to an abridged audiobook. I gradually found myself repulsed by the version there and wrote a rather scathing review. I don't often retract reviews, even for rereads, but given that the review I wrote was pretty long and there is a character limit for these reviews, I will be truncating that initial review to make way for this one.
That leads up to the third read-through - a dear friend of mine was reading this, in her pursuit of reading what is now considered the Star Wars Legends line in chronological order. She urged me to reread and give this a chance, and I couldn't wait to take up the challenge. Would I despise this as much as I had nearly a decade ago or had I changed?
Please note, the only reason it took 3 months to read was the COVID-19 outbreak that destroyed what had been up to that point my good reading streak.
What I ended up finding is that this was a lot better than I had expected. Sure, there were some really silly moments, but at the end of the day and for what the book was, this was a great adventure/journey story that focused tightly on a small cast of intriguing characters. Obi-Wan and Anakin, for the most part (minus some lines of dialogue that I could never imagine coming from the lips of Hayden Christensen), have a great rapport. I love how Obi-Wan is personified as this dignified Jedi Master, a la Sir Alec Guinness from the original "A New Hope", and Anakin treads that good balance between being young and reckless and genuinely wanting to learn. My favorites, though, were Luminara and Barriss - two of the many female Jedi that we see of to the side of the screen but never get a chance to hear from or see much in action in the movies. Luminara is equally wise and well-spoken, but in a distinctly different way that is given just as much respect as Obi-Wan's character (though I cringe at our opening sequence where Luminara and Barriss have to shrug off sexual harassment to prove to the readers they are capable Jedi). And then there's Barriss, an eager, bright-eyed Jedi with not nearly the baggage of Anakin. All in all, well done.
Before I gush too long, that doesn't mean ALL the characters are well done. There is an attempt to make Shu Mai important, which ultimately fails. Then we have Soergg and his bossban, Ogomoor, as they constantly scramble around to thwart our Jedi in antics that might not seem too out of place in a Wile E. Coyote cartoon.
But by far the most cringe-worthy (which is saying a lot by the way!) is the treatment of Bulgan and Kyakhta. The problem with the Alwari duo is that much is made of how they are "mentally challenged" (basically imagine the PC version of the r-word) and "stupid" (but not too stupid to capture a Jedi Padawan in an extremely contrived manner). But never you worry; being "mentally challenged" is easily repaired by a Jedi Padawan (when was this established to be plausible?!) and once the duo is "cured" of their problem, they immediately see the error of their ways and agree to help the Jedi (who accept without a niggle of a qualm). Did no one find this in the least problematic at the time?! Would anyone be okay with saying that people who have Down's Syndrome or autism or a myriad of other "intellectual disabilities" need to be cured to be good people, to lead an ethical life?! And then you have the other problem: If indeed a Jedi can heal these intellectual difficulties (which really has only been established in this book), shouldn't the Jedi be roaming the galaxy to fix ALL being with intellectual difficulties?! Isn't it then technically the fault of the Jedi for any crime committing by such beings?
If you can manage to get through the first few chapters of setup, where we trudge through how important Ansion is and yet how no one (but still everyone, bad and good) knows about it, a ludicrous kidnapping, and then the miraculous Jedi healing of the intellectually challenged Alwari guides, then we settle into the far more interesting story, the one I think Foster really enjoyed writing: The Journey. On the Savannah of Ansion, Foster dives in to create this really fascinating world, creating creatures and biomes wholly alien and unique. His suubatars, Shanh, and Sadain as well as the Gwurran and the Ansionians, really show that Foster was trying to make this world different. Truly, Foster should have left any and all portions with the Commerce Guild or Ogomoor and Soergg on the cutting room floor, as they waste time that could have been spent on the savannahs of Ansion. Genuinely, this middle portion of the book was the best - yes, even including the portion where the four Jedi must entertain an Alwari tribe with their talents (which I spent way too much time lambasting in my previous review).
There are a few other quibbles I have, I'll admit. I still don't care for Tooqui, an obnoxious hanger-on the group acquires at one point. Yes, he does end up pulling his own weight, and his presence does make me ponder the question "What would a world be like where more than one sentient species arose?", so I don't hate him quite so much as I used to. And yet, I don't find his antics very charming or humorous or whatever Foster was going for.
The other bit I find particularly sad is the hasty wrap up. We spend a good piece on this trek - and then the Jedi find the Borokii and within a few pages, things are wrapped up and the book ends. I must admit, I was rather sad at the hasty ending and wished for something a bit more fleshed out, though I'll admit, I don't have suggestions on how it could have been better handled.
At the end of the day, Foster had a tough job ahead of him. He had to write a book leading into "Attack of the Clones", which I can imagine would have limited what he was able to do. I could easily see the portions about the secession and the Commerce Guild being his attempt to placate The Powers that Be that were pushing him to include it to lead into the movie. And honestly, while this book is nowhere near as bad as my previous snarky review would have indicated, this book isn't critical to the plot of "Attack of the Clones"; in my opinion, it was merely marketed as such to generate interest, give people tantalizing hints of what to expect, and ultimately make money. That said, Star Wars Legends has had its ups and downs; I think this is one of the better entries (especially in this era, which is plagued with atrocious books like "Jedi Trial").
First time in hard back soon after the book was released (felt disappointed).
Second time in abridged audiobook when I reread Star Wars over a summer (didn’t like it).
Third time in ebook (enjoyed WAY more).
There are things that haven’t changed - for the most part, I don’t like Tooqii, I’m disgusted by the two “mentally challenged” Alwari (and what it means when they are magically healed by the person they kidnapped), some of Anakin’s dialogue is weird, any scene with Soergg and his majordomo or any scene with Shu Mai is pointless and goes nowhere.
But there are things that have changed - Foster has a style of writing that I found more charming this time around, the dynamics between the Jedi were great, the savannah adventure was good (once we skipped over the fluff setup), I loved the attention to detail Foster gave to the evolution on Ansion and the creature/alien/society construction, there were some GREAT lines in this book that just really made you think, I honestly prefer this scaled back version of what the Jedi are capable of (even if it’s weird because Starkiller can wrest a Star Destroyer from space while Barriss is kidnapped as if she were part of the Three Stooges).
So I’m bumping this to 3 stars. It’s rough (I firmly believe that any and all portions of the book from Ogomoor or Shu Mai should not have been included as they just weakened the story and take away from the parts that are interesting), it’s hastily wrapped up but there’s something really nice about seeing more Jedi that just Obi-Wan and Anakain, esp when it’s Luminara and Barriss, two of my favorite Jedi.
Full Review:
Ansion is considering seceding from the Republic. Because of its many important alliances, the Republic fears a mass exodus. The Jedi react by sending Obi-Wan and Anakin to join Luminara Unduli and Barris Offee on the planet Ansion and negotiate with the Anwali.
This marks the third time I've read this book. The first time I read this book was shortly after it was released on hardback. I seem to recall vividly seeing this in Costco and snatching up the hardcover. When I read the book though, I wondered when the story would start - until I realized that the trek to the Borokii was the story. When I realized that, I settled into the book and enjoyed it for what it was.
The second time I read this, back ~2010, I listened to an abridged audiobook. I gradually found myself repulsed by the version there and wrote a rather scathing review. I don't often retract reviews, even for rereads, but given that the review I wrote was pretty long and there is a character limit for these reviews, I will be truncating that initial review to make way for this one.
That leads up to the third read-through - a dear friend of mine was reading this, in her pursuit of reading what is now considered the Star Wars Legends line in chronological order. She urged me to reread and give this a chance, and I couldn't wait to take up the challenge. Would I despise this as much as I had nearly a decade ago or had I changed?
Please note, the only reason it took 3 months to read was the COVID-19 outbreak that destroyed what had been up to that point my good reading streak.
What I ended up finding is that this was a lot better than I had expected. Sure, there were some really silly moments, but at the end of the day and for what the book was, this was a great adventure/journey story that focused tightly on a small cast of intriguing characters. Obi-Wan and Anakin, for the most part (minus some lines of dialogue that I could never imagine coming from the lips of Hayden Christensen), have a great rapport. I love how Obi-Wan is personified as this dignified Jedi Master, a la Sir Alec Guinness from the original "A New Hope", and Anakin treads that good balance between being young and reckless and genuinely wanting to learn. My favorites, though, were Luminara and Barriss - two of the many female Jedi that we see of to the side of the screen but never get a chance to hear from or see much in action in the movies. Luminara is equally wise and well-spoken, but in a distinctly different way that is given just as much respect as Obi-Wan's character (though I cringe at our opening sequence where Luminara and Barriss have to shrug off sexual harassment to prove to the readers they are capable Jedi). And then there's Barriss, an eager, bright-eyed Jedi with not nearly the baggage of Anakin. All in all, well done.
Before I gush too long, that doesn't mean ALL the characters are well done. There is an attempt to make Shu Mai important, which ultimately fails. Then we have Soergg and his bossban, Ogomoor, as they constantly scramble around to thwart our Jedi in antics that might not seem too out of place in a Wile E. Coyote cartoon.
But by far the most cringe-worthy (which is saying a lot by the way!) is the treatment of Bulgan and Kyakhta. The problem with the Alwari duo is that much is made of how they are "mentally challenged" (basically imagine the PC version of the r-word) and "stupid" (but not too stupid to capture a Jedi Padawan in an extremely contrived manner). But never you worry; being "mentally challenged" is easily repaired by a Jedi Padawan (when was this established to be plausible?!) and once the duo is "cured" of their problem, they immediately see the error of their ways and agree to help the Jedi (who accept without a niggle of a qualm). Did no one find this in the least problematic at the time?! Would anyone be okay with saying that people who have Down's Syndrome or autism or a myriad of other "intellectual disabilities" need to be cured to be good people, to lead an ethical life?! And then you have the other problem: If indeed a Jedi can heal these intellectual difficulties (which really has only been established in this book), shouldn't the Jedi be roaming the galaxy to fix ALL being with intellectual difficulties?! Isn't it then technically the fault of the Jedi for any crime committing by such beings?
If you can manage to get through the first few chapters of setup, where we trudge through how important Ansion is and yet how no one (but still everyone, bad and good) knows about it, a ludicrous kidnapping, and then the miraculous Jedi healing of the intellectually challenged Alwari guides, then we settle into the far more interesting story, the one I think Foster really enjoyed writing: The Journey. On the Savannah of Ansion, Foster dives in to create this really fascinating world, creating creatures and biomes wholly alien and unique. His suubatars, Shanh, and Sadain as well as the Gwurran and the Ansionians, really show that Foster was trying to make this world different. Truly, Foster should have left any and all portions with the Commerce Guild or Ogomoor and Soergg on the cutting room floor, as they waste time that could have been spent on the savannahs of Ansion. Genuinely, this middle portion of the book was the best - yes, even including the portion where the four Jedi must entertain an Alwari tribe with their talents (which I spent way too much time lambasting in my previous review).
There are a few other quibbles I have, I'll admit. I still don't care for Tooqui, an obnoxious hanger-on the group acquires at one point. Yes, he does end up pulling his own weight, and his presence does make me ponder the question "What would a world be like where more than one sentient species arose?", so I don't hate him quite so much as I used to. And yet, I don't find his antics very charming or humorous or whatever Foster was going for.
The other bit I find particularly sad is the hasty wrap up. We spend a good piece on this trek - and then the Jedi find the Borokii and within a few pages, things are wrapped up and the book ends. I must admit, I was rather sad at the hasty ending and wished for something a bit more fleshed out, though I'll admit, I don't have suggestions on how it could have been better handled.
At the end of the day, Foster had a tough job ahead of him. He had to write a book leading into "Attack of the Clones", which I can imagine would have limited what he was able to do. I could easily see the portions about the secession and the Commerce Guild being his attempt to placate The Powers that Be that were pushing him to include it to lead into the movie. And honestly, while this book is nowhere near as bad as my previous snarky review would have indicated, this book isn't critical to the plot of "Attack of the Clones"; in my opinion, it was merely marketed as such to generate interest, give people tantalizing hints of what to expect, and ultimately make money. That said, Star Wars Legends has had its ups and downs; I think this is one of the better entries (especially in this era, which is plagued with atrocious books like "Jedi Trial").
adventurous
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
ok this book took me like 3 weeks to finish because i wasn't hooked at all and it felt like a chore. idk if it was cos it was confusing, or it was the politics or just the shitty descriptions but i hated this book. ok maybe hate is too strong but it wore me out to write an actual 'review' of it. actually the coruscant-based politics were ok, i just felt like whatever was going on in ansion was all over the place and super dragged out to add more unnecessary scenes. but it was ok, it's leaning more toward the below average side but whatever. it had obi-wan, anakin, luminara and barriss so i shouldn't complain. i've seen reviews that say it helped provide more depth for the characters but i disagree because there was like no depth LMAO. anyways i don't want to think about this anymore and i will continue this chronological read of my sw book collection with brotherhood which i'm super hyped about.
adventurous
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
adventurous
challenging
informative
I didn't think that this was that bad of a book. I have seen some negative reviews of it. It's better than Jedi Trial. The plot involves Obi-Wan, Anakin and the Jedi Luminara and her student going to Ansion to try and prevent them from seceding from the Republic. It's more political based as are a few books from that point in the timeline. I don't mind the politics; I think the overall scheme of the Sith is quite complicated and interesting. The book is interspersed with some action; usually involving the Jedi getting through the many obstacles that get in their way. Overall it is a pretty good story, but not really an essential SW book. It provides some insight to the events prior to Episode 2 as well as the buildup of the separatist movement. Not bad.
adventurous
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
A fun read, but it took a long time to develop and the ending was a given from the start.
adventurous
lighthearted
medium-paced