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A review by colinmcev
Jedi Search by Kevin J. Anderson
3.0
The last Star Wars book I had read before this one – following the chronology of the stories themselves – was X-Wing: Isard's Revenge, and especially in comparison to that one, Jedi Search is a FAR superior entry in the expanded universe of novels. Granted, Star Wars novels are my so-called "guilty pleasure" reading, so I don't expect fine literature by any means, nor would I say Kevin J. Anderson's writing style is perfect by any stretch of the imagination. (Maybe this is just a pet peeve, but I lost track of how many times he wrote that some character "managed to" do something.) But Jedi Search is a well-crafted book with some original storylines, clever twists, and interesting new characters in addition to the classic mainstays from the films.
Moruth Doole, Qwi Xux, Kyp Durran, and especially Admiral Daala are all welcome new additions to the Star Wars universe, and the secret fleet that Daala is helming (which I will not discuss in any further detail as to avoid spoliers) is a really intriguing and refreshingly creative idea. I will say that normally, I think Star Wars media tends to rehash the Death Star too much by coming up with new planet-destroying superweapons. I find this tiresome and unoriginal, and in fact it was my biggest issue with the new film, The Force Awakens, which this novel obviously predates. But the Star Crusher is such a different take on this normally-overdone plot device that I didn't mind it nearly as much as I thought I would.
Jedi Search isn't perfect, of course. For example the scene with Lando Calrissian going undercover at the blob race felt like an excuse to give Lando something to do, and frankly, the idea of "blob races" didn't exactly make for compelling reading for me. This novel doesn't quite reach the level of Timothy Zahn and his Thrawn trilogy, which for me remains the golden standard for Star Wars novels. But it was a good read, and I look forward to reading the rest of The Jedi Academy Trilogy.
Moruth Doole, Qwi Xux, Kyp Durran, and especially Admiral Daala are all welcome new additions to the Star Wars universe, and the secret fleet that Daala is helming (which I will not discuss in any further detail as to avoid spoliers) is a really intriguing and refreshingly creative idea. I will say that normally, I think Star Wars media tends to rehash the Death Star too much by coming up with new planet-destroying superweapons. I find this tiresome and unoriginal, and in fact it was my biggest issue with the new film, The Force Awakens, which this novel obviously predates. But the Star Crusher is such a different take on this normally-overdone plot device that I didn't mind it nearly as much as I thought I would.
Jedi Search isn't perfect, of course. For example the scene with Lando Calrissian going undercover at the blob race felt like an excuse to give Lando something to do, and frankly, the idea of "blob races" didn't exactly make for compelling reading for me. This novel doesn't quite reach the level of Timothy Zahn and his Thrawn trilogy, which for me remains the golden standard for Star Wars novels. But it was a good read, and I look forward to reading the rest of The Jedi Academy Trilogy.