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graff_fuller's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
One more book in this series...and, honestly...I'm glad it is almost over, but that does not mean I'm glad that the series is over. This has been a great series...that really knocked my socks off. A middle grade series that brought great storylines and characters to the forefront.
Obviously, it isn't part of the Disney Canon, but it really IS a great series...and more people need to read it.
The parellels that are talked about between Obi-Wan and his master, Qui-Gon, with Anakin and his master Obi-Wan. We ALL know what happens with Anakin, but to see it play out in this book was really special.
I cannot rave more about this series. So glad I decided to read it. Bitter sweet moment approaching, when I pick up the last book.
Obviously, it isn't part of the Disney Canon, but it really IS a great series...and more people need to read it.
The parellels that are talked about between Obi-Wan and his master, Qui-Gon, with Anakin and his master Obi-Wan. We ALL know what happens with Anakin, but to see it play out in this book was really special.
I cannot rave more about this series. So glad I decided to read it. Bitter sweet moment approaching, when I pick up the last book.
cyris_reads's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
jaredkwheeler's review
3.0
Star Wars Legends Project #80
Background: Deceptions was written by [a:Jude Watson|11912|Jude Watson|https://d.gr-assets.com/authors/1403530689p2/11912.jpg] and published in July 2001. It is the first of two books written to tie together the Jedi Apprentice and Jedi Quest series, both written by Watson.
Deceptions is partly set 44 years before the Battle of Yavin, shortly after the events of [b:The Day of Reckoning|320407|The Day of Reckoning (Star Wars Jedi Apprentice, #8)|Jude Watson|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1374774312s/320407.jpg|311160] (my review). The book then flashes forward to 29 years before the Battle of Yavin (3 years after The Phantom Menace). The story is basically a sequel to [b:The Captive Temple|359786|The Captive Temple (Star Wars Jedi Apprentice, #7)|Jude Watson|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1371939804s/359786.jpg|349903] (my review), with appearances by Qui-Gon, Tahl, Bant, the family of Bruck Chun, Obi-Wan, Anakin, and Andra and Den (from The Day of Reckoning).
Summary: Obi-Wan is still haunted by guilt for the death of Bruck Chun, killed when they fought during Xanatos' attack on the Jedi Temple. Now, Bruck's father and brother have arrived on Coruscant to demand justice, and Obi-Wan is facing a Senate inquiry. Meanwhile, Qui-Gon and Tahl are investigating mysterious acts of sabotage against a fledgling Jedi pilot program. Many years later, Obi-Wan and Anakin are dispatched on their first mission as master and apprentice, and Obi-Wan's past catches up with them.
Review: The Jedi Apprentice books are far from my favorite, and a lot of them are decidedly mediocre. This was isn't great, either, but there was a welcome familiarity about it that I was surprised to really enjoy. It felt kind of nostalgic to pick this up a few months after finishing that series and revisit many of the old characters from it, a few of whom have been killed off in the interim. I was worried at first that this would feel like two extremely short stories stitched together into a still quite short book, but the connections between the two timelines ran deeper than I suspected. That was good, overall, though some of it felt a bit "Hardy Boys" (with all of the different "cases" inevitably tying into each other in one overly-neat package).
The best part about this is the way it takes some time to really delve into and deal with the emotional fallout from a key moment in Obi-Wan's life. Now, as I recall, the original books that this follows onto already sunk a good bit of time into this, so some of the Obi-Wan guilt stuff felt like a bit of a retread, but . . . not all of it. Really, the thing that bothered me most was how the "bad guys" were allowed to get away with saying, over and over again, that Obi-Wan killed Bruck and no one ever seems to contradict this. Except Obi-Wan did nothing of the kind. This being a series for younger readers, that story went way out of its way to set up a situation where the bad guy dies in a fight with the good guy without the good guy being even slightly responsible. Obi-Wan feels guilt for good emotional reasons that are based on his character, but not for any logical reason. Bruck died because he was an idiot, and Obi-Wan did try to save him. It kind of drove me crazy that no one worked very hard to point that out, particularly since a certain crucial bit of evidence that suddenly turns up to save the day felt spectacularly contrived and shouldn't have been necessary.
The plotline that picks up with Obi-Wan and Anakin years later was decidedly less interesting, and the connections with the previous storyline were . . . somewhat welcome, but also a bit strained. There were some plotholes and inconsistencies that I'm not interested enough to poke at, and I'm not sure how much I like the way the older Obi-Wan doesn't feel that much more mature or able than the younger Obi-Wan at times, but I'll let the coming series get a bit further along and see how that develops. I do like that Anakin's particular talents have a lot more of a chance to shine than any talents the younger Obi-Wan possessed ever did. This is definitely worth reading if you enjoyed some of the better storylines from Jedi Apprentice.
C+
Background: Deceptions was written by [a:Jude Watson|11912|Jude Watson|https://d.gr-assets.com/authors/1403530689p2/11912.jpg] and published in July 2001. It is the first of two books written to tie together the Jedi Apprentice and Jedi Quest series, both written by Watson.
Deceptions is partly set 44 years before the Battle of Yavin, shortly after the events of [b:The Day of Reckoning|320407|The Day of Reckoning (Star Wars Jedi Apprentice, #8)|Jude Watson|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1374774312s/320407.jpg|311160] (my review). The book then flashes forward to 29 years before the Battle of Yavin (3 years after The Phantom Menace). The story is basically a sequel to [b:The Captive Temple|359786|The Captive Temple (Star Wars Jedi Apprentice, #7)|Jude Watson|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1371939804s/359786.jpg|349903] (my review), with appearances by Qui-Gon, Tahl, Bant, the family of Bruck Chun, Obi-Wan, Anakin, and Andra and Den (from The Day of Reckoning).
Summary: Obi-Wan is still haunted by guilt for the death of Bruck Chun, killed when they fought during Xanatos' attack on the Jedi Temple. Now, Bruck's father and brother have arrived on Coruscant to demand justice, and Obi-Wan is facing a Senate inquiry. Meanwhile, Qui-Gon and Tahl are investigating mysterious acts of sabotage against a fledgling Jedi pilot program. Many years later, Obi-Wan and Anakin are dispatched on their first mission as master and apprentice, and Obi-Wan's past catches up with them.
Review: The Jedi Apprentice books are far from my favorite, and a lot of them are decidedly mediocre. This was isn't great, either, but there was a welcome familiarity about it that I was surprised to really enjoy. It felt kind of nostalgic to pick this up a few months after finishing that series and revisit many of the old characters from it, a few of whom have been killed off in the interim. I was worried at first that this would feel like two extremely short stories stitched together into a still quite short book, but the connections between the two timelines ran deeper than I suspected. That was good, overall, though some of it felt a bit "Hardy Boys" (with all of the different "cases" inevitably tying into each other in one overly-neat package).
The best part about this is the way it takes some time to really delve into and deal with the emotional fallout from a key moment in Obi-Wan's life. Now, as I recall, the original books that this follows onto already sunk a good bit of time into this, so some of the Obi-Wan guilt stuff felt like a bit of a retread, but . . . not all of it. Really, the thing that bothered me most was how the "bad guys" were allowed to get away with saying, over and over again, that Obi-Wan killed Bruck and no one ever seems to contradict this. Except Obi-Wan did nothing of the kind. This being a series for younger readers, that story went way out of its way to set up a situation where the bad guy dies in a fight with the good guy without the good guy being even slightly responsible. Obi-Wan feels guilt for good emotional reasons that are based on his character, but not for any logical reason. Bruck died because he was an idiot, and Obi-Wan did try to save him. It kind of drove me crazy that no one worked very hard to point that out, particularly since a certain crucial bit of evidence that suddenly turns up to save the day felt spectacularly contrived and shouldn't have been necessary.
The plotline that picks up with Obi-Wan and Anakin years later was decidedly less interesting, and the connections with the previous storyline were . . . somewhat welcome, but also a bit strained. There were some plotholes and inconsistencies that I'm not interested enough to poke at, and I'm not sure how much I like the way the older Obi-Wan doesn't feel that much more mature or able than the younger Obi-Wan at times, but I'll let the coming series get a bit further along and see how that develops. I do like that Anakin's particular talents have a lot more of a chance to shine than any talents the younger Obi-Wan possessed ever did. This is definitely worth reading if you enjoyed some of the better storylines from Jedi Apprentice.
C+
hstapp's review
3.0
I was hesitant about Wookiepedia's suggestion that this book belonged here instead of at the end of the series, but I really think it fits in well here. Of course if Older Obi-Wan and Anakin had been more defined it might not have blended as well. Still I think it was a good book.
thebookslayer's review
adventurous
dark
hopeful
mysterious
tense
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
5.0
fandom4ever's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
sad
tense
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
5.0
Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan. Obi-Wan and Anakin. Two masters. Two apprentices. One mystery.
‘Special Edition: Deceptions’ takes place in the Star Wars timeline right after Jedi Apprentice Book 10, ‘The Shattered Peace’, but was published after the Jedi Apprentice series was complete and before the Jedi Quest series began. Due to this, this first Special Edition is like a peek into what the Jedi Quest series will hold for Anakin’s apprenticeship.
This book was excellent; it was almost like reading two books seamlessly woven together. Oftentimes I had to remember the events that Obi-Wan was recalling from 12 years ago were in the same book, and that is not a bad thing. Both sections of this book had enough story that they could have been stand-alones.
The first half harkens back to an event that has never really left Obi-Wan’s mind or soul. Qui-Gon is there to support Obi-Wan but also to stand back a little; to have his Padawan confront his past so he can move on.
In the second half, we get to see characters we met in earlier books and how their lives have turned out. It also has some great foreshadowing of events to come in the galaxy, which is always interesting to see what characters make of it when they don’t know that anything is amiss.
This first look into Anakin’s apprenticeship was really well done. We get to see how Obi-Wan has taken Qui-Gon’s lessons and tries to use them in teaching Anakin. There is also the tense beginnings of their Master-Padawan relationship. Obi-Wan isn’t quite certain on how to be a good Master, he went from Padawan to immediate Master after all, while Anakin isn’t certain whether Obi-Wan truly cares about him or just took him out of an obligation to Qui-Gon. The contrast between the two relationships was wonderfully done.
This book did its job. The author, Jude Watson, really understands the characters of Qui-Gon, Obi-Wan, and Anakin. I both crave more Jedi Apprentice for Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan’s bond, but also am looking forward to reading about Obi-Wan and Anakin’s relationship growing. I absolutely recommend this book!
‘Special Edition: Deceptions’ takes place in the Star Wars timeline right after Jedi Apprentice Book 10, ‘The Shattered Peace’, but was published after the Jedi Apprentice series was complete and before the Jedi Quest series began. Due to this, this first Special Edition is like a peek into what the Jedi Quest series will hold for Anakin’s apprenticeship.
This book was excellent; it was almost like reading two books seamlessly woven together. Oftentimes I had to remember the events that Obi-Wan was recalling from 12 years ago were in the same book, and that is not a bad thing. Both sections of this book had enough story that they could have been stand-alones.
The first half harkens back to an event that has never really left Obi-Wan’s mind or soul. Qui-Gon is there to support Obi-Wan but also to stand back a little; to have his Padawan confront his past so he can move on.
In the second half, we get to see characters we met in earlier books and how their lives have turned out. It also has some great foreshadowing of events to come in the galaxy, which is always interesting to see what characters make of it when they don’t know that anything is amiss.
This first look into Anakin’s apprenticeship was really well done. We get to see how Obi-Wan has taken Qui-Gon’s lessons and tries to use them in teaching Anakin. There is also the tense beginnings of their Master-Padawan relationship. Obi-Wan isn’t quite certain on how to be a good Master, he went from Padawan to immediate Master after all, while Anakin isn’t certain whether Obi-Wan truly cares about him or just took him out of an obligation to Qui-Gon. The contrast between the two relationships was wonderfully done.
This book did its job. The author, Jude Watson, really understands the characters of Qui-Gon, Obi-Wan, and Anakin. I both crave more Jedi Apprentice for Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan’s bond, but also am looking forward to reading about Obi-Wan and Anakin’s relationship growing. I absolutely recommend this book!
ofclumsywords's review
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
fast-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
5.0
“Qui-Gon & Obi-Wan. Obi-Wan & Anakin. Two masters. Two apprentices. One mystery.”
Over the course of twelve years we have a plot grow bigger and more complex seen first through young Obi-Wan’s eyes then through his eyes as an adult. Obi-Wan still has guilt from his youth that he has to face once again but this time with Anakin by his side instead of Qui-Gon. This is the first time the author gets to write Obi-Wan and Anakin together and it is a great sneak peek into her follow up series that takes place after Jedi Apprentice. She did a great job getting Obi-Wan and Anakin’s dynamic right and not to mention the first time she also got to write grown up Obi-Wan.
Over the course of twelve years we have a plot grow bigger and more complex seen first through young Obi-Wan’s eyes then through his eyes as an adult. Obi-Wan still has guilt from his youth that he has to face once again but this time with Anakin by his side instead of Qui-Gon. This is the first time the author gets to write Obi-Wan and Anakin together and it is a great sneak peek into her follow up series that takes place after Jedi Apprentice. She did a great job getting Obi-Wan and Anakin’s dynamic right and not to mention the first time she also got to write grown up Obi-Wan.
thecoolgirl's review against another edition
adventurous
lighthearted
reflective
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? It's complicated
3.5