“Kenobi” By John Jackson Miller Review

In this original novel set between the events of Star Wars: Episode III Revenge of the Sith and Episode IV A New Hope, Obi-Wan Kenobi comes to the aid of the residents of Tatooine during his exile. But he struggles with his new mission when he realizes that protecting Luke Skywalker-the last hope of the galaxy-means setting aside his compassion and his Jedi warrior training, for the future of the galaxy lies not with Obi-Wan Kenobi, but with a mystical desert recluse known only by the name of Crazy Old Ben.

I gotta admit that this one isn’t the best star wars books I’ve read. This book is okay and somehow fun to read because we get to see more of what Obi-Wan was doing on Tatooine after the events of Episode 3. But other than that it has some other fun moments but for the most part. However I gotta admit that this book had disappointed me in a way.

The thing I found most disappointing in this book is that I thought it will be about Obi-Wan, since its named “Kenobi” and it has Obi-Wan on the cover but the majority of this book isn’t even about him. He is in the book yes, but he pops up every couple of pages. And I gotta say that he was in around 20% of this book but the remaining 80% of this book was not about him. But Obi-Wan being at Tatooine is critical to the events in this book but we don’t get to know his thoughts and opinions about the actions unfolding in this book. Because we as the readers we only get very few and short passages from his point of view. Which really got me angry on this book and on the author in a way because I bought and read this book to read about Obi-Wan and not some Tatooine hillbillies.

I gotta admit that this book is more like a desert western rather than a star wars book, even thou it has a lightsaber moment at the end of this book. But I gotta admit that a part of me liked this in a way because for me it was like taking a unique approach to the Star Wars universe, even thou I don’t want to see that happening often when it comes to Star Wars universe.

The pacing in this book was over odd for me personally in this book. Because it was like the first half of this book was building into this big climax and then when we get into the second half of this book we get a new path and the book and the plot itself builds back up again for a new climax and for the real conclusion of the book.

The characters here are meh to be honest, even Obi Wan in this book feels more like a watered down version of himself from Episode 3 which happened very short time before the plot in this book begins. 

The characters are very not memorable, and really I didn’t remember their names after I finished this book which really shows me personally at least how mediocre and average “Joe”s the characters were in this book. 

We follow the plot from the new characters point of view in this book, and because of this a lot of this story isn’t spend on the Obi-Wan we know and love but rather the local people seeing the new guy in town and wondering who is and where he came from. And of course the new guy in town is “Ben Kenobi” which might explain what I said above about Obi-Wan having a feeling like he is a watered down version of himself.

The writing style in this book was very average and not a lot to talk about. It didn’t feel like it was a good choice for a star wars book, because the writing style felt like it would do better in a western themed book rather than a star wars book. It focused heavily on the gun action and the schemes aspects rather than what you would expect from a Star Wars books. 

I Give This Book 3 / 5

“From a Certain Point of View: The Empire Strikes Back” By Elizabeth Schaefer Review

On May 21, 1980, Star Wars became a true saga with the release of The Empire Strikes Back. In honor of the fortieth anniversary, forty storytellers recreate an iconic scene from The Empire Strikes Back, through the eyes of a supporting character, from heroes and villains to droids and creatures. From a Certain Point of View features contributions by bestselling authors and trendsetting artists.

So this book is a collection of 40 short stories which is released what we saw in The Empire Strikes Back.

If you want me to be very honest here, most of those stories in this book were good but they were okay. But surprisingly there were 2-3 very good shorties which really made me be kinder to the stories I didn’t like as much in this book. 

Its important to say that each short stories comes from a less known character from that movie. And we don’t get Luke’s, Leia’s or Han’s perspective but rather from the side characters from the movie. With actually worked very well for this book. Because we get to see the iconic trio through different perspectives rather from their own perspectives. 

To be honest I cant talk about the writing style of this book, because almost all 40 short stories in this book have been written by different authors which of course their own witting styles. 

I think that this book is a nice book to read if you want to expend your star wars knowledge and see the events of The Empire Strikes Back from different perspectives than the iconic trio’s perspectives. But of course this book is very far from being a “must read” in the star wars book universe. 

I Give This Book 3 / 5

“Ahsoka” By E.K. Johnston Review

Fans have long wondered what happened to Ahsoka after she left the Jedi Order near the end of the Clone Wars, and before she re-appeared as the mysterious Rebel operative Fulcrum in Rebels. Finally, her story will begin to be told. Following her experiences with the Jedi and the devastation of Order 66, Ahsoka is unsure she can be part of a larger whole ever again. But her desire to fight the evils of the Empire and protect those who need it will lead her right to Bail Organa, and the Rebel Alliance.

Once again ive read a star wars book from the new era of Star Wars where everything goes to shit. By it I mean after Disney purchased Star Wars to destroy it.

I personally think that Ahsoka is one of many underrated characters from the Star Wars universe which the movies completely ignores but which we as star wars deserve to see more of. And I don’t mean those watered down Disney star wars shows or books.

This book had a lot of potential which the author didn’t use. It takes place not long after the order 66. So of course books set in that time have great potential especially if the books are about Jedis who have survived. But this book completely ignores that and just give use not so great book.

The plot here was okay, it was entertaining and interesting. But to say more about the plot its almost impossible because in the end the author gave us a very shallow plot besides it being somehow entertaining and interesting.

To be very honest the plot is heavily amid towards the new fans of star wars rather than the old fans of star wars. Because it gives us a lot of background information which old fans have heard a million times before like ahsoka being a Anakin’s Palawan during clone wars, Anakin turning to the dark side, Obi-wan hiding on Tattoine, Sheev Palpatine being a shit lord and being able to hide that fact from Jedis when he was a senator and then a Supreme Chancellor etc.

However I liked the fact that this book brought out those facts for new fans because those facts were nicely presented and I actually liked how the author have given us the facts in this book.

The writing style again makes you feel like it is more of an YA writing style rather than anything else. Because of this it makes you feel even more on how this book is targeting the new fans of star wars rather than the old fans.

But even thou the writing style feels like a YA written style, there are a lot of moments in the plot where the plot seems like it was written for pre-teens between the ages of like 6 – 12. 

When it comes to the characters in this book I have to say that aren’t the greatest. They are still good, but I wouldn’t love Ahsoka so much if this book was my introduction to her rather than the Clone Wars animated series. This is because she is more on the shallow side, and she doesn’t feel like herself because she is more like Obi-Wan in this book. Which means that she thinks mostly about tactics and strategies. Which made me feel like the author is trying to take what people love about Obi-Wan and give his attributes to Ahsoka to make her the new Obi-Wan if you will.

At times this book felt like I did hate some of the OG characters because how it mentioned them in passing like they didn’t matter at all. Like Bail Organa or Yoda. Which really didn’t go well with me. 

I Give This Book 3 / 5

“Dooku: Jedi Lost” By Cavan Scott Review

Darth Tyranus. Count of Serenno. Leader of the Separatists. A red saber, unsheathed in the dark. But who was he before he became the right hand of the Sith? As Dooku courts a new apprentice, the hidden truth of the Sith Lord’s past begins to come to light. Dooku’s life began as one of privilege—born within the stony walls of his family’s estate, orbited by the Funeral Moon where the bones of his ancestors lie interred. But soon, his Jedi abilities are recognized, and he is taken from his home to be trained in the ways of the Force by the legendary Master Yoda.

This book has to be easily one of the top best books I’ve read during this year. I love star wars and I loved this book.

However its important to say that this book is more of a full script rather than a regular book. But I still loved it a lot. Reading this book I could easily image how a movie based of this script would look like, and because of this I gave this book some extra point.

The plot was were interesting, enjoyable and very very attention grabbing. The plot is very unique and it brings a lot to the history of Count Dooku, because it involves a lot of memories from Dooku’s past when he was training to be a Jedi knight, when he was a padawan to Yoda, when he became a Jedi Knight, when he became a member of the Jedi Council, when he turned to the dark side and his family relationships. Which was really interesting to learn about in detail.

From the moment I started reading this book, I became clued to this book and I couldn’t put it away because I was completely sucked into the plot and the characters. 

I personally think that Dooku is one of the underestimate and under hyped characters in the star wars universe. And this book really proves that he truly is an underestimated character and that we for sure need to see more of him and should have more books and a tv show about him.

If you ever wondered how Dooku got to be the character he was in the movies, then this book will give you all the answers because this whole book is all about him and you will revisit all of his past memories to how and why he got to be who he is in the movies.

I cant say much about the writing style in this book, since its a script rather than a normal novel. And I don’t know how or if it is even possible to review a writing style in a script.

If you are a fan of star wars then you should read this book. If you want to get into reading star wars books than this book is one of the best choices to start your journey with when it comes to star wars book. Because it will give you a good example of how good star wars books can get. But at the same time it will suck you into the star wars books.

The ending here was a little bit unexpected and it really gives us a huge plot twist, and because of the ending am a little mixed up about this book. And I dont know what I should feel about the ending because it was so good. 

I Give This Book 5 / 5

“Queen’s Shadow” By E.K. Johnston Review

When Padmé Naberrie, “Queen Amidala” of Naboo, steps down from her position, she is asked by the newly-elected queen to become Naboo’s representative in the Galactic Senate. Padmé is unsure about taking on the new role, but cannot turn down the request to serve her people. Together with her most loyal handmaidens, Padmé must figure out how to navigate the treacherous waters of politics and forge a new identity beyond the queen’s shadow.

This book is the first book in the Padmé  book trilogy. And I gotta say that I didn’t like this gook as much as I liked the second book in this trilogy. And yes I began reading this trilogy from the second book and then jumped back to the first book.

Of course this book fills in the gaps which the movies had, in the timeline of before, during and after The Phantom Menace movie. But it filled in the gaps in a very boring way and mostly very very slow way.

It could be just me, but I felt like this book was going much slower than it needed to. It would have chapters about insignificant things which wouldn’t even matter in the following chapter. 

The writing style was okay in this book, but it was very very far away from the best writing style in the galaxy of Star Wars.

My edition of this book is 345 pages long, and there is no action (battle, or anytime of fighting) until the page 320. Which really speaks for itself at this point.

The this book as this whole trilogy takes place in any less favorite era of star wars which is between the Phantom Menace and Attack of the Clones. Which I was never a big fan. So the reason it may be reason why I give this book so low rating. 

Characters here are very good, and I liked Padmé much better in this book than while watching her in the movies. Because in this book she shows much more personality than in the movies. But also this book shows us her struggle and that she constantly needed to prove herself to other people to be taken seriously and not as a kid.

When it comes to the other characters, they were as good as Padmé, there weren’t any character I didn’t like in this book. Because they all had a lot of personalities to them and it was almost impossible for me to not like the characters. Because in real life I would not have any problems becoming friends with them.

The plot in this book is about the transition from being a queen to being galactic senator which Padmé went through. And I personally liked the fact that she didn’t transition in one day but rather used to entire book and the fact that she needed to prove herself that she could be as good of a senator as she was a queen.

I like this book a fair share but since it is a star wars book and there was almost no action in it until the 2 last chapters made me very disappointed in this book just as the whole era to be honest. So it is the reason behind the low rating. 

But at the same time the mix between almost no action and the slow pace of this book really made me not appreciate this book as I wanted to do.

I Give This Book 2 / 5

“The Rebel Files: Collected Intelligence of the Alliance” By Daniel Wallace Review

Branded as rebels and traitors, the members of the Alliance worked from the shadows, gathering information and support from across the galaxy to bring an end to the Empire’s tyranny. Concealed within a secure case, their most vital and sensitive information was collected by one of Mon Mothma’s most trusted aides and kept hidden until now. Discovered in the ruins of an abandoned rebel base, these files have been passed among members of the Resistance, who have added notes, updates, and new insights to the documents. A repository of Alliance intelligence, The Rebel Files weaves together classified documents, intercepted transmissions, and gathered communications to trace the formation of the Rebel Alliance. Within the case, an imbedded projection unit — activated by the push of a button — displays the Death Star plans plus a reconnaissance image of Death Star II. Unlock the secrets of the Rebel Alliance!

This book is the third book I’ve read from the series of “Secrets of the Galaxy Guidebooks Series”. And I gotta say that this book was less impressive and less interesting than the previous 2 books I’ve read from the series.

I found this book less enjoyable but being more of a university lecture type of book about the Rebels in the star wars universe. 

I think that the main reason why I didn’t like this book as much as I wanted to do was because I never were a big fan of the rebel aspect of the star wars. In fact the rebel aspect in star wars are one of the less interesting aspects for me of the star wars universe.

I dont know if it is just me but this book seems disjointed. And the characters notes in the margins of this book are not done so well as in the previous books in this series. Which really didn’t make it easier for me to like this book. 

But at the same time the character notes in the margins of this book seems like the characters talking with each other rather than one character making a note and then another character making a note commenting on the previous characters note which was done in the previous book. In my opinion that aspect of the character notes worked in the previous books in this series but just didn’t work for this book because it was made so differently.

The thing which also bothered me with this book was that, all the rebel interruptions weren’t descried but rather talked about in the retrospect on why they worked or didn’t work. Which really annoyed me because I wanted to see more of the prep work before the interruptions rather than having notes from characters talking about why they didnt work or work.

I Give This Book 2 / 5

“Queen’s Peril” By E.K. Johnston Review

When fourteen-year-old Padmé Naberrie wins the election for Queen of Naboo, she adopts the name Amidala and leaves her family to the rule from the royal palace. To keep her safe and secure, she’ll need a group of skilled handmaidens who can be her assistants, confidantes, defenders, and decoys. Each girl is selected for her particular talents, but it will be up to Padmé to unite them as a group. When Naboo is invaded by forces of the Trade Federation, Queen Amidala and her handmaidens will face the greatest test—of themselves, and of each other.

This book is the first book in the The Padmé Trilogy by E.K. Johnston, and I have to say that this book is far from the best star wars book I’ve ever read.

Even thou it isn’t the best star wars book to be ever written, it is still a fun and enjoyable book to read. 

I never was a big fan of Padmé so thats why I might not have liked this book so much, but I still it was very interesting and enjoyable reading about her being a 14 year old girl from Naboo who was interested in politics to becoming a 14 year old Queen of Naboo. 

This book takes place a little bit before The Phantom Menace, but at the same time 35% of this book takes place parallel to the movie. So thats a nice treat, which I wasn’t expecting. 

The plot in this book focuses on the first few months of Padmé being the queen, and because of it a little bit of this book runs parallel with The Phantom Menace.

The plot itself wasn’t masterpiece, it had couple o problems here and there throughout this book. But it was still enjoyable, interesting and entertaining to read this book. 

The characters here were okay, Padmé wasn’t as likable as she was in the movies. But dont get me wrong, I liked the characters in this book, but they were less impressive than what they were in the movie. 

Of course we get some characters we didn’t get in the The Phantom Menace. But let me put it that way, most characters were on the edge of being good but weren’t fine and the rest of the characters were meh to to put it in a nice way.

To be very honest here I liked all of the characters in this book, but I didnt bother to make place for them in my soul, or to remember them for years, as I did with characters from books I truly loved.

The writing style here were actually good, I really liked it. Because it was like the author knew what words to use to grab me and make me read until the very end.

I Give This Book 3 / 5

“Padawan” By Kiersten White Review

Obi-Wan Kenobi really wants to be a good Padawan. The best Padawan, even. But that’s feeling more and more impossible with his new master, Qui-Gon Jinn. All of Obi-Wan’s friends are off training to be real Jedi, getting mission experience, while he’s still on Coruscant, practicing his forms and sitting in silent contemplation. Ever since Qui-Gon’s former master, Dooku, left the Order, it feels like Qui-Gon has been too busy trying to connect with the Force or arguing with the Jedi Council to properly train his Padawan.

After reading this book I started to belive that the new star wars cannon isn’t for me because Disney doesn’t know how to wrote good star wars books which we had before Disney bought star wars.

This book is about young Obi Wan Kenobi sonly after he became the padawan of Qui-Gon Jinn. And somehow the young Obi Wan Kenobi we get in this book doesn’t feel like the same Obi Wan Kenobi we get in the movies. I know that in this book he is young and he isn’t the same person he is in the movies. But still there is something off about him, and he doesn’t have the same feeling and character if you will as the on-screen Obi Wan Kenobi.

And the same thing is also relevant for Qui-Gon Jinn. In this book Qui-Gon Jinn feels very much as a misfit in the Jedi order and not like the intelligent Jedi knight we get in the movies.

But when it comes to the plot itself, it was okay but nothing good nor bad it was firmly in the midle. I dont have any strong feelings about the plot in this book because I’m very neutral to this book. It wasn’t as bad as some of the new era star wars cannon (after Disney bought it) movies and books. 

The plot was hard to get though at times because at times it didn’t make any scene. The plot also doesn’t talk about the relationship between Obi Wan and Qui Gon, it rather talks about how insecure young Obi Wan was in his early days as a padawan, and that he felt like his padawan friends were much ahead of him. Which really bored me a bit, because I wanted to see more of the Obi Wan and Qui Gon relationship as they had in the early days as padawan and master and how it could have changed to what we see in the The Phantom Menace.

This book doesn’t really gives us anything that we dont know about Obi-Wan from the movies, but as a stand alone book its okay book. 

I Give This Book 3 / 5

“Mercy Kill” By Aaron Allston Review

The intrepid spies, pilots, and sharpshooters of Wraith Squadron are back in an all-new Star Wars adventure, which transpires just after the events of the Fate of the Jedi series! Three decades have passed since Wraith Squadron carried out its last mission. Taking on the most dangerous and daring operations, the rogues and misfits of the elite X-Wing unit became legends of the Rebellion and the Second Galactic Civil War, before breaking up and going their separate ways. Now their singular skills are back in vital demand—for a tailor-made Wraith Squadron mission.

And yet again we are talking about another amazing book from the Star Wars universe. This particular book is a part of a 10 books sub-series in the star wars universe. And this series is about the x-wing fighters unit, which turns out to be very interesting and not like boring as I was expecting to be before starting this sub-series. Which is a very pleasant surprise.

There are a lot of great characters in this book, which really made give this book some extra points. Most of the characters feels like real human being and I wouldn’t have no problem being friends with them.  Most of the characters had a personality, it was easy to like them and they had their own opinions, thoughts etc. which made them feel like real human being. But some characters were not that great, because they were shallow, and they felt like they simple created to fill up the void and nothing more than that.

The plot in this book is very good because there is a lot of action in this book. And there is always something happening in this book, which means that you wont get bored reading this book. Which of course made me give this book some extra points for a lot of action which this book has.

The plot feels very unique even thou that adding new things to the star wars universe can be easily get to be a very big miss which can make the star wars fan hate you. But the author doesn’t miss with this book and expands the star wars universe in a very good way. 

The writing style in this book is okay, it had some good moments but it also had some bad moments. Simple the writing style in this book wasn’t the greatest but it was okay and not as bad as it could get.

I Give This Book 4 / 5

“Maul: Lockdown” By Joe Schreiber Review

It’s kill or be killed in the space penitentiary that houses the galaxy’s worst criminals, where convicts face off in gladiatorial combat while an underworld gambling empire reaps the profits of the illicit blood sport. But the newest contender in this savage arena, as demonic to behold as he is deadly to challenge, is fighting for more than just survival. His do-or-die mission, for the dark masters he serves, is to capture the ultimate weapon: an object capable of obliterating the Jedi and conquering the galaxy.

Ive been telling this for years since the first time I’ve watched for the first time The Phantom Menace that Darth Maul is one the most underrated characters in the whole Cinema history. And this book book just how much he is underrated in the star wars movies and shows.

This book gives us a bigger background on Darth Maul, even thou we don’t get a lot of his background we get to see what he has been up to before the The Phantom Menace.

This book gives a lot of examples why Darth Maul is one of the best characters in the Star Wars universe, and why every time he is on the screen we get the chills run down our backs.

The writing style in this book is very incredible. It is like the author knows what words to use to grab our attention and not let it go until the very end of this book. Which I personally love when it happens in books.

In this book Darth Maul is send on a special mission to a prison by Darth Sidious to infiltrate a space station prison. Which was much more interesting than what it sounds like. 

This book gives Darth Maul his own voice and shows us how unique of a character he is. 

However this book starts slow but the action really picks up very fast. Which means that you won’t be bored for too long while reading this book. There is a lot of things happening in this book which makes to a very interesting and enjoyable read.

It might be a very personal opinion, but this book shows big time that the legends books in star wars are really the best book in the star wars universe.

I Give This Book 4 / 5