Written by: R.A. Salvatore

R.A. Salvatore has long been a fantasy favorite, so it was interesting to see him at the helm of a space adventure. Of course Star Wars has always been more fantasy than science fiction. And he succeeds. He takes almost of all the weaknesses in Lucas’ script and is able to flesh them out to give them the depth that the film never quite achieves.

Written by Terry Bisson

There are books aimed at younger readers and then there are just young reader books. Jedi Apprentice and Jedi Quest for example were both written to include younger readers but you never felt as if they were excluding an older audience. Not so much with these stories.

Written by: Terry Bisson

After getting over the stumbling block of defining everything and reaching out to the younger readers, the series takes a bit of a better spin.

Perhaps it helps to have gotten the exposition of a younger viewed version of Episode II out of the way, but watching the newly orphaned Boba Fett muddle around on his own is certainly interesting. Far from the perfect bounty hunter we originally met in Empire Strikes Back, Boba is young, somewhat naive, and certainly not up to task.

Written by: Elizabeth Hand

One thing I will say is that the difference between Hand and Bisson is so minute that you don’t notice that an author change has taken place. The writing styles are that similar. But that’s not a bad thing. Bisson got the series over the hump before turning over the reins to the capable hands of Hand.

Written by: Alan Dean Foster

written by: Christie Golden

Finally something happens and yet…Golden finds a way to make it seem like not a whole heckuva lot. Nothing personally against Ms. Golden, but after reading two of her books, I hope she is taken out of the next Star Wars arc rotation. She just doesn’t have what it takes in writing an engaging Star Wars novel.

Finally we get to learn why we don’t see Yaddle (the female of Yoda’s species) after Episode I. Because she dies in duty to save the Chosen One. That’s fairly significant.

The story begins with the Jedi having to travel to a planet that is in anarchy. The government is overthrown and taking it’s place are a few factions of gangs. Two criminals and one freedom fighter of sorts control the planet and enforce their rule by fear as they battle each other. The Jedi are sent to try to bring order to the planet before the Senate sends in troops to protect whatever provisional government can be established.

This was a typical Jedi Quest book with a few exceptions. It had some major reveals, and yet it seemed a bit tame and over with very quickly. There was definitely some cool wow factors. For example, we learn where the gundark line from Episode II comes from -a nice tie in to the films. I really like when Watson does that as it does seem like more of a streamlined universe rather than separate stories. Furthermore we get to see more of the villains, especially the return of Jenna Zan Arbor from the Jedi Apprentice series.

This was a fun tale in comparison to the more tired tale of last book. A tale of deception, intrigue, and rivarly. In a good move it allows Anakin and Ferus to work together in a more friendlier manner as if the two had come to an accord of sorts. The storyline moves briskly. The Jedi have tracked down Zan Arbor to the planet of Romin, which has become a haven for criminals to ensconce themselves on due to the political maneuvering of leader Roy Teda.

Quite possibly my favorite book in the series, and perhaps all of Watson’s Star Wars work. It mixes a bit of everything. Intrigue, politics, action, Anakin’s descent and importantly ties itself into the films as a whole. All of these supplemental novels for me should have one basic throughline – filling in the gaps of Anakin’s descent.

Another fine effort from Watson as we conclude the Jedi Quest novels. We are left at the end with Anakin having burned most of his Jedi friend ties and facing an uncertain future. Obi-Wan is his only friend left due to his own inability to stifle his competitve nature. When Ferus is the first selected to to accelerate his trials and become a full Jedi, Anakin is outraged and any civility they might have gained ended.

Written by: Jude Watson

Jude Watson has done a great job exploring the Star Wars Universe culture by going to many different worlds and seeing many different galactic activities all the while trying to slowly bring Anakin Skywalker and Obi-Wan Kenobi along on their journey towards where we see them in Episodes II and III. This story is no different as we see the galaxy far far away’s equivalent of the Olympics. Something that absolutely should happen but you don’t think much about it happening, until Watson brings it up.

Written by: Jude Watson

Anakin Skywalker’s education continues as we find out more about the mysterious Granta Omega…eventually. As Anakin gets older we need to see a bit more tension between Obi-Wan and Anakin but more importantly we need to see that Anakin is able to be seduced even if it is for the right reasons.

Granta is the first time we see Anakin interacting with a less overt and instead much more charismatic form of evil. Showing shades of Palpatine, Granta befriends Anakin (even if it’s under an alias) so that by the time he is revealed, Anakin has conflicted emotions.

Written by: Jude Watson

I’m surprised it took me this long, but I can be slow at times…This series is not about Anakin Skywalker and really more about Obi-Wan. If you connect the series with the earlier Jedi Apprentice series it is a long drawn out arc of how Obi-Wan got from a youngling in the Jedi Temple to the master of Anakin Skywalker that we meet again in Episode 2.

by: Jude Watson

Jude has been doing a good job with this series, far more consistently (through three novels) than he got detailing Qui-Gon’s training of Obi-Wan. Another step forward in the slow development of the team we see in the prequel trilogy.

It is a testament to the large spanning success that Zahn’s Heir to the Empire trilogy was that a spinoff story of sorts detailing some of the events that led to that status quo is a thrilling concept. The Outbound Flight was mentioned a few times with little details during the Zahn trilogy but what was given was tantalizing. An old Republic mission with a few Jedi Masters going off into the unknown. All we knew was that the mission was a failure and the masters were killed.

After Anakin and Mace search for survivors from the downed Republic ship from last episode, they walk into a trap laid by young Boba Fett and his crew. They are trapped underneath a large pile of metal rubble and can’t move. Ironically after Mace decries Anakin for putting so much trust in the droid, R2 finds them. Anakin instructs him to get back to the fighters and get a communication out to the Temple.

We begin with Anakin and Mace Windu continuing their adventures, this time aboard a Republic ship with a batch of young clones learning the ropes.

Written by: Drew Karpyshyn

Now this is more like it! After stumbling a bit with the second volume, volume 3 takes it up a notch and is easily the equal of the first volume. The storyline is quickly paced and full of action and adventure. By the time the novel was wrapping up, I was surprised to see it was over.

The Zillo beast from the previous episode is brought to Coruscant but the problem with researching the impenetrable hide is the beast is the pain caused to the locked up monster.

written by: Aaron Allston

Aaron Allston knows how to write a good story that is at once engrossing, informative, and usually fairly humorous. I was glad to see his return to the Fate of the Jedi storyline which is really right up his alley. The novel, like the series is one that is unlike most Star Wars stories. Although there is danger imminent, it isn’t front and center and the be all and end all of what is going on. Instead, we get brief reminders here and there. And when you expect a large climactic lightsaber duel or dogfight, it swerves. I know I’m not talking it up really here and some people are bound to hate the more intimate big story but I’m loving it.

Written by: Jude Watson

Another adventure for younger readers. This one is particularly well intended for certain. I like what Watson was attempting to do. Was it successful? Somewhat.

Clone Wars: 2.17

“Bounty Hunters”

This was a great episode despite it’s simple premise. An homage of sorts to Kurosawa’s Seven Samurai, our Jedi crash land on a planet when vulture droids attack a recon mission. Our Jedi include Obi-Wan, Anakin and Ahsoka. While stranded they come upon a village of farmers who have taken to hiring a group of bounty hunters to protect them from a band of pirates led by none other than the Jedi’s old friend, Hondo.