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writerinafoxhole's review against another edition
adventurous
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
After reading My Dear F*****g Prince, I was afraid that this book would feel a little bit dry, but I was surprised how easily I was drawn into it and I did have times when I didn't want to put down the book down.
It is not my first Star Wars book, but it is my story that is not based on a movie, even if the main character is a character of the sage and the reason I picked the book a couple of years ago. I was immersed into this little snippet of Ben Kenobi's new life on Tatooine, I felt deeply his struggle with his survivor's guilt and blame he throws on himself. It has a strong power on him throughout the story, and I appreciated it. I also enjoyed the lore and details about certain races and the lives of the people living on this planet.
This book brought me a cozy feeling as if I was watching a movie that I know isn't a cinematic masterpiece by any mean, but I would gladly watch again if I stumble on it. No doubt my appreciation for the character and the Star Wars universe has a strong influence on that feeling as well. I did not expect to enjoy it as much as I did.
It is not my first Star Wars book, but it is my story that is not based on a movie, even if the main character is a character of the sage and the reason I picked the book a couple of years ago. I was immersed into this little snippet of Ben Kenobi's new life on Tatooine, I felt deeply his struggle with his survivor's guilt and blame he throws on himself. It has a strong power on him throughout the story, and I appreciated it. I also enjoyed the lore and details about certain races and the lives of the people living on this planet.
This book brought me a cozy feeling as if I was watching a movie that I know isn't a cinematic masterpiece by any mean, but I would gladly watch again if I stumble on it. No doubt my appreciation for the character and the Star Wars universe has a strong influence on that feeling as well. I did not expect to enjoy it as much as I did.
crystalstarrlight's review against another edition
4.0
Bullet Review:
Yes, I’ve been reading this book for nearly a year. So shoot me. The pandemic has been rough on me.
Also hilarious because when I started this, it was well before Disney released the Obi-Wan series, which is probably why this review may receive the attention it does.
Despite nearly taking forever to finish this, I rather enjoyed it. I liked the character of Annileen, who basically is my age. I liked how we saw Obi-Wan mostly from other’s POVs. I liked that we spent time establishing this culture on Tatooine, these people who vary from hard working to desperate scammers. I liked seeing the POV of a Tusken Raider. I liked that this story wasn’t about saving the world from collapsing or being destroyed by a random superweapon. And I liked shipping Annileen and Obi-Wan.
Full Review:
The desert is a tough place to make a living, and no one understands that better than widow, Annileen Calwell, who is trying to raise her two kids, Kallie and Jabe, and manage Dannar's Claim, her husbands general store/bar/small town hotspot. Her husband died years ago due to Tusken Raiders, and his friend, Orrin Gault, has come up with a pyramid scheme - I MEAN! - "insurance policy" called the Settler's Call. For a small fee, you sign up and then you get protection from the rest of the settlement when Tuskens attack. This delicate balance all changes with the arrival of a strange and mysterious man, who calls himself Kenobi.
I really do kinda understand why some people don't care for this book. Despite being called Kenobi, well, our titular character doesn't really appear all that much - and he doesn't really get any POVs. Honestly, if you've read any of my reviews, you would think my opinion should be much the same - I mean, I went pretty hard on Knight Errant (incidentally by the same author) for how long it takes to show us Kerra Holt, the aforementioned "Knight Errant", and I was pretty scathing for "Revan". Why does this get a pass?
I think in order to explain why this works, I need to go to the author, John Jackson Miller. JJM has written some of the best of the latter end so-called "Legends" books and also some pretty mediocre ones. But the best ones - ones like Lost Tribe of the Sith, the KOTOR comics minus volume 10 - succeed because they dare to develop, really develop, these fascinating characters not named Solo and Skywalker. Even in JJM's books that I didn't care for (Knight Errant), I still found myself liking some of the characters he created.
As I've grown up reading Star Wars (I read my first book back in 1997, "The Truce at Bakura"), I realize that the most meaningful, most interesting books tend to be the ones that focus on a narrow group of characters - Shatterpoint, Yoda: Dark Rendezvous, Darth Bane. They spend more time on how the characters react to a situation than building up a chain of events and fight scenes and silly villain confrontations.
I also think JJM is good at creating a setting. Star Wars basically revolves around Tatooine at this point, but I dare say it's almost a caricature at this point. There are two suns, dirt, sand, and lots of scheming Hutts - but JJM steps back and builds a culture of moisture farmers. So many books and movies are about these elite plots and plans, the machinations of people in power, but the Empire or the Republic or whatever government in power is built upon people - and like this book shows, those people often don't give a rat's about that government, when they are struggling to survive. JJM captures this in this book.
I also won't deny that I found myself really relating to Annileen, a 30-something woman who's seen the death of her dreams. As much as I'd love to think of myself as a Leia or Mara or whatever, the fact is, I have more in common with Annileen than most other protagonists of the Star Wars universe. Sure, sometimes I love to have my flights of fancy, to imagine I too am a Jedi. Other times, it's nice to know even in a galaxy far far away, people are just like me.
I've written so much, and yet I still feel I've done a terrible job of describing why I liked this. I wouldn't pay too much attention on how long it took me to read this - ever since catching the worst cold of my life in January of 2020 and the subsequent quarantine and pandemic, I've not really been the same. It's a real struggle, and some days, I'd rather watch mindless YouTube videos from the late 00's than to read. Let it be known, I'm not writing this to convince anyone to read this, that this is the best book in the Star Wars Legends line. I'm merely saying I enjoyed myself, that I read more books that I liked than I disliked (quite a feat as a few years back, I wanted to throw the towel completely in on reading).
This isn't like every other Star Wars book, but maybe that's why it has generated such a division between those who read it. Regardless, you are the only one who can know what you like, so if what I've tried to convey sounds interesting, feel free to read - or not. I don't get money for writing these or any sort of reimbursement. I just am an almost 40 year old woman looking for a dream.
Yes, I’ve been reading this book for nearly a year. So shoot me. The pandemic has been rough on me.
Also hilarious because when I started this, it was well before Disney released the Obi-Wan series, which is probably why this review may receive the attention it does.
Despite nearly taking forever to finish this, I rather enjoyed it. I liked the character of Annileen, who basically is my age. I liked how we saw Obi-Wan mostly from other’s POVs. I liked that we spent time establishing this culture on Tatooine, these people who vary from hard working to desperate scammers. I liked seeing the POV of a Tusken Raider. I liked that this story wasn’t about saving the world from collapsing or being destroyed by a random superweapon. And I liked shipping Annileen and Obi-Wan.
Full Review:
The desert is a tough place to make a living, and no one understands that better than widow, Annileen Calwell, who is trying to raise her two kids, Kallie and Jabe, and manage Dannar's Claim, her husbands general store/bar/small town hotspot. Her husband died years ago due to Tusken Raiders, and his friend, Orrin Gault, has come up with a pyramid scheme - I MEAN! - "insurance policy" called the Settler's Call. For a small fee, you sign up and then you get protection from the rest of the settlement when Tuskens attack. This delicate balance all changes with the arrival of a strange and mysterious man, who calls himself Kenobi.
I really do kinda understand why some people don't care for this book. Despite being called Kenobi, well, our titular character doesn't really appear all that much - and he doesn't really get any POVs. Honestly, if you've read any of my reviews, you would think my opinion should be much the same - I mean, I went pretty hard on Knight Errant (incidentally by the same author) for how long it takes to show us Kerra Holt, the aforementioned "Knight Errant", and I was pretty scathing for "Revan". Why does this get a pass?
I think in order to explain why this works, I need to go to the author, John Jackson Miller. JJM has written some of the best of the latter end so-called "Legends" books and also some pretty mediocre ones. But the best ones - ones like Lost Tribe of the Sith, the KOTOR comics minus volume 10 - succeed because they dare to develop, really develop, these fascinating characters not named Solo and Skywalker. Even in JJM's books that I didn't care for (Knight Errant), I still found myself liking some of the characters he created.
As I've grown up reading Star Wars (I read my first book back in 1997, "The Truce at Bakura"), I realize that the most meaningful, most interesting books tend to be the ones that focus on a narrow group of characters - Shatterpoint, Yoda: Dark Rendezvous, Darth Bane. They spend more time on how the characters react to a situation than building up a chain of events and fight scenes and silly villain confrontations.
I also think JJM is good at creating a setting. Star Wars basically revolves around Tatooine at this point, but I dare say it's almost a caricature at this point. There are two suns, dirt, sand, and lots of scheming Hutts - but JJM steps back and builds a culture of moisture farmers. So many books and movies are about these elite plots and plans, the machinations of people in power, but the Empire or the Republic or whatever government in power is built upon people - and like this book shows, those people often don't give a rat's about that government, when they are struggling to survive. JJM captures this in this book.
I also won't deny that I found myself really relating to Annileen, a 30-something woman who's seen the death of her dreams. As much as I'd love to think of myself as a Leia or Mara or whatever, the fact is, I have more in common with Annileen than most other protagonists of the Star Wars universe. Sure, sometimes I love to have my flights of fancy, to imagine I too am a Jedi. Other times, it's nice to know even in a galaxy far far away, people are just like me.
I've written so much, and yet I still feel I've done a terrible job of describing why I liked this. I wouldn't pay too much attention on how long it took me to read this - ever since catching the worst cold of my life in January of 2020 and the subsequent quarantine and pandemic, I've not really been the same. It's a real struggle, and some days, I'd rather watch mindless YouTube videos from the late 00's than to read. Let it be known, I'm not writing this to convince anyone to read this, that this is the best book in the Star Wars Legends line. I'm merely saying I enjoyed myself, that I read more books that I liked than I disliked (quite a feat as a few years back, I wanted to throw the towel completely in on reading).
This isn't like every other Star Wars book, but maybe that's why it has generated such a division between those who read it. Regardless, you are the only one who can know what you like, so if what I've tried to convey sounds interesting, feel free to read - or not. I don't get money for writing these or any sort of reimbursement. I just am an almost 40 year old woman looking for a dream.
purrpurr's review against another edition
adventurous
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
not enough obi-wan </3
calbowen's review against another edition
4.0
I had the audiobook version of Kenobi.
This is the novel of Obi-Wan Kenobi and his arrival on Tatooine. There is very little Kenobi in the beginning but he is featured shortly after the rest of the cast is introduced. JJM does a great job of bringing a new story into a well-established universe and throwing in only a sprinkling of classic Star Wars while keeping true to the universe.
The voice acting is well done and the soundtrack is minimal.
This story gives a great prequel feel to what Obi-Wan did between episodes three and four, at least in the beginning. This is a great story about a Jedi in Hiding and a classic member of the franchise.
This is the novel of Obi-Wan Kenobi and his arrival on Tatooine. There is very little Kenobi in the beginning but he is featured shortly after the rest of the cast is introduced. JJM does a great job of bringing a new story into a well-established universe and throwing in only a sprinkling of classic Star Wars while keeping true to the universe.
The voice acting is well done and the soundtrack is minimal.
This story gives a great prequel feel to what Obi-Wan did between episodes three and four, at least in the beginning. This is a great story about a Jedi in Hiding and a classic member of the franchise.
alexinho10's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
informative
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
austintaute's review against another edition
adventurous
hopeful
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
jpeterson95687's review against another edition
adventurous
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Loveable characters? Yes
4.75