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3.76 AVERAGE
3.76 AVERAGE
I've fallen down a Star Wars k-hole lately, and I'm not fighting it. That includes finally-FINALLY-tackling the Expanded Universe (or, Star Wars Legends if it's pre-April, 2014.) The only Star Wars novels I had read previously were novelizations of the original trilogy that I read around the time they came out.
This is a story in the Star Wars Rebels timeline, which means it's automatically in canon (at least, for now it is), and tells the story of how Kanan met Hera. This is before Sabine, Zeb and Chopper joined the Ghost crew, which is good news to all of the people who hate Chopper. Kanan hasn't come to terms with his Jedi trainee past and the trauma of Order 66, and is living under the radar in various roughneck jobs far from Coruscant. Then an Imperial efficiency expert comes to the mining colony he's made his latest of temporary homes, and workers there start dying because the Empire sucks. That's not just a blithe putdown. Miller really puts some detail into what life would be like in an evil Galactic dictatorship that the movies only scratch the surface on: constant surveillance, disregard of life, unrealistic and unrelenting quotas, environmental destruction.
The surveillance expert's visit also brings Hera, whom Kanan finds just mysterious and hot enough to get dragged into her plot to foil the Empire's plan, whatever it is. The novels can really delve deeply into a world that is made for deep dives better than even a TV show can. As Star Wars typically functions at such an archetypal level, it was nice to explore the motivations of ordinary citizens and the ordinary motivations of extraordinary citizens. It's also nice to see lusty, drunken Kanan, as Jedis can sometimes be dry, lugubrious characters otherwise.
The plot is intricate and thoughtful enough to be entertaining, and Miller can write action sequences very well. I really enjoyed this book. Alas, my reserve for one of Miller's other books ([b:Lost Tribe of the Sith: The Collected Stories|13023324|Lost Tribe of the Sith The Collected Stories (Star Wars Lost Tribe of the Sith)|John Jackson Miller|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1326407357s/13023324.jpg|18186079]) still hasn't come in because some butthole seems to have lost or stolen the one copy my local library had. I could make some joke about it having fallen into a nest of gondarks, but I'm not THAT big of a nerd.
It's hard to know where to begin in the Star Wars-verse, and some of the novels are probably terrible. Here is an article with some good starting recommendations that I used as my guide.
ETA: As I look back on this, it's still one of my favorite Star Wars novels I've read to date. I really like Rebels, but it's not like it's my all-time favorite property in the canon. This book was just kind of a perfect story though. I'm bumping this up a star.
This is a story in the Star Wars Rebels timeline, which means it's automatically in canon (at least, for now it is), and tells the story of how Kanan met Hera. This is before Sabine, Zeb and Chopper joined the Ghost crew, which is good news to all of the people who hate Chopper. Kanan hasn't come to terms with his Jedi trainee past and the trauma of Order 66, and is living under the radar in various roughneck jobs far from Coruscant. Then an Imperial efficiency expert comes to the mining colony he's made his latest of temporary homes, and workers there start dying because the Empire sucks. That's not just a blithe putdown. Miller really puts some detail into what life would be like in an evil Galactic dictatorship that the movies only scratch the surface on: constant surveillance, disregard of life, unrealistic and unrelenting quotas, environmental destruction.
The surveillance expert's visit also brings Hera, whom Kanan finds just mysterious and hot enough to get dragged into her plot to foil the Empire's plan, whatever it is. The novels can really delve deeply into a world that is made for deep dives better than even a TV show can. As Star Wars typically functions at such an archetypal level, it was nice to explore the motivations of ordinary citizens and the ordinary motivations of extraordinary citizens. It's also nice to see lusty, drunken Kanan, as Jedis can sometimes be dry, lugubrious characters otherwise.
The plot is intricate and thoughtful enough to be entertaining, and Miller can write action sequences very well. I really enjoyed this book. Alas, my reserve for one of Miller's other books ([b:Lost Tribe of the Sith: The Collected Stories|13023324|Lost Tribe of the Sith The Collected Stories (Star Wars Lost Tribe of the Sith)|John Jackson Miller|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1326407357s/13023324.jpg|18186079]) still hasn't come in because some butthole seems to have lost or stolen the one copy my local library had. I could make some joke about it having fallen into a nest of gondarks, but I'm not THAT big of a nerd.
It's hard to know where to begin in the Star Wars-verse, and some of the novels are probably terrible. Here is an article with some good starting recommendations that I used as my guide.
ETA: As I look back on this, it's still one of my favorite Star Wars novels I've read to date. I really like Rebels, but it's not like it's my all-time favorite property in the canon. This book was just kind of a perfect story though. I'm bumping this up a star.
This is the first time I've read anything by this author and the first time I've read anything other than the "Based on the Movie/TV show" novelizations in the Star Wars Universe, and I have to admit, I really enjoyed it! It takes place before the events of Star Wars: Rebels Spark of Rebellion, and I found it interesting to read how Kanan and Hera met and came to be working together. I loved the beginning chapter of the book with Caleb Dume! I had to read that to my family a couple of different times, I loved it so much! The book was richly done, and I had little problem imagining this as a very long animated movie. I could especially hear Kanan's voice in my head as I read this! What a great read! I'm a bit eager to read other books that pique my interest in the Star Wars Universe, but most definitely [b:Star Wars: Kenobi|17262173|Star Wars Kenobi|John Jackson Miller|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1369503659s/17262173.jpg|23858972]!
Decent book, narration was good. The sound effects are an added touch. More of a book for an avid Star Wars fan than just a good "read".
This was an interesting dive into two of my favorite characters in the Star Wars universe. The unfolding story between Kanan and Hera meeting was slow to start, but snowballed, and along the way it picked up some truly compelling characters and an interesting villain.
I would have liked more depth to Kanan’s jump from being the last padawan and Ezra’s mentor we know in Rebels, and I was disappointed by the lack of (minor spoiler) lightsaber use. Although I appreciate subtlety, I want more to tie this book into the beginnings of the show- even if that happened to be a single use of Kanan’s lightsaber or his meeting with the puzzlingly absent Chopper.
Definitely read if you’re a fan of Rebels, but expect a more close to the vest representation of these characters. Miller did an excellent job with introducing characters who have already been established and developed, while making them exciting and likable to an audience potentially unfamiliar with the Ghost Crew.
I would have liked more depth to Kanan’s jump from being the last padawan and Ezra’s mentor we know in Rebels, and I was disappointed by the lack of (minor spoiler) lightsaber use. Although I appreciate subtlety, I want more to tie this book into the beginnings of the show- even if that happened to be a single use of Kanan’s lightsaber or his meeting with the puzzlingly absent Chopper.
Definitely read if you’re a fan of Rebels, but expect a more close to the vest representation of these characters. Miller did an excellent job with introducing characters who have already been established and developed, while making them exciting and likable to an audience potentially unfamiliar with the Ghost Crew.
Good back story for how Kanan and Hera started working together. The book is long and it took me awhile to get into it, but once the action started moving it held my interest.
adventurous
hopeful
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
A great new tale in the new canon Star Wars line. It's actually really peaked my interest for the REBELS show as well. If you like SW and want to get in on the new continuity from the start, pick this up.
adventurous
slow-paced