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thebookslayer's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.25
fandom4ever's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
reflective
tense
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
5.0
What a fabulous book!! Once again written by Jude Watson, Legacy of the Jedi was published in 2003, and is split into four sections: just prior to Dooku’s apprenticeship, Qui-Gon’s apprenticeship, Obi-Wan’s apprenticeship, and Anakin’s apprenticeship. Each section is tied together into one plot by a continuing character.
I loved these glimpses into times not previously seen before, namely Dooku’s younger years, and his time with his own Padawan, Qui-Gon. And it was a real treat that this book further built on the story of Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan, even after a twenty book series with them, culminating in the sweetest and heart-wrenching talk between the two before the events of Episode I. Not to mention, the moments of Obi-Wan being unsure of Anakin and seeing hints of something darker in light of the events of Geonosis were brilliantly done. This book is a wonderful connection to the Star Wars galaxy as a whole, filling in some of the missing pieces of how characters end up like they are and where they are.
I would absolutely recommend reading this book after the Jedi Apprentice series; it will mean so much more to delve into these wonderful characters further after everything that happens in that series. Seeing each of these sections and how well they could also function as stand-alones (with more added of course), really makes me wish we could have had a Dooku apprenticeship and then his apprenticeship of Qui-Gon book series. Alas, we never will but this was a good little peek into that world. Now onto the Jedi Quest series!
graff_fuller's review
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
tense
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
This book surprised me. Since it is a Scholastic imprint, I was worried that the target audience would be set SO low, that I (being a 57 year old dude) wouldn't connect with it, but it was great.
I love the connective tissue and struggles with the Darkside at each pairing. Really well done.
I love the connective tissue and struggles with the Darkside at each pairing. Really well done.
jaredkwheeler's review against another edition
5.0
Star Wars Legends Project #101
Background: Legacy of the Jedi was written by [a:Jude Watson|11912|Jude Watson|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1403530689p2/11912.jpg] and published in August 2003. It ties in heavily with Watson's "Jedi Apprentice" and "Jedi Quest" series, but isn't part of either.
Legacy of the Jedi takes place across several decades, spanning four generations of Jedi. Part One begins 89 years before the Battle of Yavin. Part Two begins 13 years later (76 BBY). Part Three begins 32 years later (44 BBY), between books 10 and 11 of "Jedi Apprentice." Part Four takes place in 22 BBY, shortly after the Battle of Geonosis. The protagonists are Dooku, Qui-Gon Jinn, Obi-Wan Kenobi, and Anakin Skywalker, with various appearances by other recurring Jedi characters.
Summary: As Padawans, the young Dooku and Lorian Nod were best friends. Then a wedge between them widened to a rivalry and finally full-blown animosity. Although Lorian's path, and (much later) Dooku's, diverges from the Jedi Order, their destinies remain intertwined, with each other and with the generations of Jedi who follow them: Dooku's own apprentice, Qui-Gon, Qui-Gon's apprentice Obi-Wan, and Obi-Wan's apprentice Anakin. Each will face the legacy of the choices made by Dooku and Lorian, with a final outcome that none could foresee.
Review: This felt like the culmination of the almost 30 Watson Star Wars books I've read to-date. Some of them have been really enjoyable, some okay, some totally forgettable or not really good at all, but the sum-total of all of that time spent with these characters pays off tremendously here. I've said several times that character is Watson's greatest strength, and it's what kept me interested in both her series, even when the plots got repetitive or paper-thin. This story plays almost entirely to that strength, full of insights into familiar (and not-as-familiar) major personalities.
The chief of these, of course, is Dooku, who is the point-of-view character in two of the four parts. This gets inside his head like no other book I've read yet, and Watson does an excellent job of imagining what he was like as a Jedi while staying consistent with what we know about him later. There are shades of Zahn's Jorus C'baoth from the later [b:Outbound Flight|192523|Outbound Flight (Star Wars)|Timothy Zahn|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1405546347s/192523.jpg|556530] (my review), particularly in Dooku's pride and certainty of his own rightness.
Even better, though, is this brief glimpse into Qui-Gon's earlier days, along with Dooku's impressions of his apprentice and a hint of what their relationship was like. And, of course, the bit of the story with Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan, though set during a well-trod section of the timeline, was a nice little flashback to a period that I've left far behind by this point. Incidentally, I did find it a bit funny that this part, in contrast to the rest of the book, revolved around essentially the same boilerplate YA dystopia that so many of the other Jedi Apprentice books featured. Like, did Obi-Wan and Qui-Gon go on any other kinds of missions . . .? Still, it served its purpose well in the larger arc, and it was a well done bit nonetheless.
The final part did a great job tying it all together and bringing the grand Star Wars theme of redemption around full circle from the beginning. Lorian Nod, introduced here for the first time, turned out to be surprisingly compelling . . . Far from the mere throwaway character I expected him to be. His recurrent appearances in each part could have felt like an overly-convenient gimmick, but instead they seemed natural and not at all repetitive. He provided a very interesting foil, primarily to Dooku, but also to some of the other Jedi characters.
As usual with Watson's books, my favorite bits had very little to do with the actual plot. The best moments were quiet bits between the master-apprentice pairs, particularly when Dooku and Qui-Gon give Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan (respectively, of course) parting bits of insight about themselves. That was the real legacy stuff. However, one of my usual complaints about Watson books, that there isn't really enough story in some of them to fill up the entire book, played out just right here, as each part was much shorter than a typical book but told a completely self-contained story that built on the other parts as well.
Your mileage may certainly vary with this one, particularly if you've read few or none of Watson's other books, but even though I felt like I might be overrating it a bit, I just couldn't get past the fact that I really enjoyed it a great deal. I wish more of the YA novels could pull off this balancing act (even some of the adult ones could learn a thing or two here).
A
Background: Legacy of the Jedi was written by [a:Jude Watson|11912|Jude Watson|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1403530689p2/11912.jpg] and published in August 2003. It ties in heavily with Watson's "Jedi Apprentice" and "Jedi Quest" series, but isn't part of either.
Legacy of the Jedi takes place across several decades, spanning four generations of Jedi. Part One begins 89 years before the Battle of Yavin. Part Two begins 13 years later (76 BBY). Part Three begins 32 years later (44 BBY), between books 10 and 11 of "Jedi Apprentice." Part Four takes place in 22 BBY, shortly after the Battle of Geonosis. The protagonists are Dooku, Qui-Gon Jinn, Obi-Wan Kenobi, and Anakin Skywalker, with various appearances by other recurring Jedi characters.
Summary: As Padawans, the young Dooku and Lorian Nod were best friends. Then a wedge between them widened to a rivalry and finally full-blown animosity. Although Lorian's path, and (much later) Dooku's, diverges from the Jedi Order, their destinies remain intertwined, with each other and with the generations of Jedi who follow them: Dooku's own apprentice, Qui-Gon, Qui-Gon's apprentice Obi-Wan, and Obi-Wan's apprentice Anakin. Each will face the legacy of the choices made by Dooku and Lorian, with a final outcome that none could foresee.
Review: This felt like the culmination of the almost 30 Watson Star Wars books I've read to-date. Some of them have been really enjoyable, some okay, some totally forgettable or not really good at all, but the sum-total of all of that time spent with these characters pays off tremendously here. I've said several times that character is Watson's greatest strength, and it's what kept me interested in both her series, even when the plots got repetitive or paper-thin. This story plays almost entirely to that strength, full of insights into familiar (and not-as-familiar) major personalities.
The chief of these, of course, is Dooku, who is the point-of-view character in two of the four parts. This gets inside his head like no other book I've read yet, and Watson does an excellent job of imagining what he was like as a Jedi while staying consistent with what we know about him later. There are shades of Zahn's Jorus C'baoth from the later [b:Outbound Flight|192523|Outbound Flight (Star Wars)|Timothy Zahn|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1405546347s/192523.jpg|556530] (my review), particularly in Dooku's pride and certainty of his own rightness.
Even better, though, is this brief glimpse into Qui-Gon's earlier days, along with Dooku's impressions of his apprentice and a hint of what their relationship was like. And, of course, the bit of the story with Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan, though set during a well-trod section of the timeline, was a nice little flashback to a period that I've left far behind by this point. Incidentally, I did find it a bit funny that this part, in contrast to the rest of the book, revolved around essentially the same boilerplate YA dystopia that so many of the other Jedi Apprentice books featured. Like, did Obi-Wan and Qui-Gon go on any other kinds of missions . . .? Still, it served its purpose well in the larger arc, and it was a well done bit nonetheless.
The final part did a great job tying it all together and bringing the grand Star Wars theme of redemption around full circle from the beginning. Lorian Nod, introduced here for the first time, turned out to be surprisingly compelling . . . Far from the mere throwaway character I expected him to be. His recurrent appearances in each part could have felt like an overly-convenient gimmick, but instead they seemed natural and not at all repetitive. He provided a very interesting foil, primarily to Dooku, but also to some of the other Jedi characters.
As usual with Watson's books, my favorite bits had very little to do with the actual plot. The best moments were quiet bits between the master-apprentice pairs, particularly when Dooku and Qui-Gon give Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan (respectively, of course) parting bits of insight about themselves. That was the real legacy stuff. However, one of my usual complaints about Watson books, that there isn't really enough story in some of them to fill up the entire book, played out just right here, as each part was much shorter than a typical book but told a completely self-contained story that built on the other parts as well.
Your mileage may certainly vary with this one, particularly if you've read few or none of Watson's other books, but even though I felt like I might be overrating it a bit, I just couldn't get past the fact that I really enjoyed it a great deal. I wish more of the YA novels could pull off this balancing act (even some of the adult ones could learn a thing or two here).
A
ofclumsywords's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
hstapp's review against another edition
3.0
3 stories about 3 different sets of Jedi. The first half of this book focusses on Dooku, making the Obi-wan and Anakin sections pretty short. I think this works out pretty well, because we know so little of Dooku. It's nice to experience a little bit more from that side.
I felt like it was well done, and I really enjoyed the stories.
I felt like it was well done, and I really enjoyed the stories.
waden34's review
3.0
I really wanted to like this book more than I did, but I really can't think of anything that stood out to make it better. It wasn't bad, just wasn't fantastic either.
Developing more of the back story of some of the Jedi from the movies and following them through the years was interesting but I think the lack of focus on a story hurts it a bit.
Developing more of the back story of some of the Jedi from the movies and following them through the years was interesting but I think the lack of focus on a story hurts it a bit.
verkisto's review
3.0
I hadn't planned on reading any of the juvenile books in the Expanded Universe. There are enough adult books in the EU as it is, and I didn't feel like doubling the number of books to read was a good idea. As I came out of the Clone Wars and into the period before A New Hope, I wondered about Boba Fett. Research showed that his story was told more in the juvenile books, written by Terry Bisson and Elizabeth Hand, and I thought, what the hell. Since I've been reading these books in chronological order, I decided to go back to the beginning of the timeline of the juvenile books and get caught up before moving on to The Last Jedi, the next book in the series for adults.
Legacy of the Jedi is about Lorian Nod, who trained to be a Jedi alongside Dooku. The story is comprised of four short stories, the first about Lorian and Dooku, the second about Dooku and Qui-Gon, the third about Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan, and the last about Obi-Wan and Anakin. Lorian is the thread that connects the stories, and we see his growth over the years as he encounters these characters. I liked seeing Watson develop the character, as well as how she characterized the other characters we already know. She did a great job capturing Dooku's inflexibility and distance especially. Lorian isn't drawn as well as any of the others, but he's not the point-of-view character for any of the stories, so we only see him as the other characters do.
Watson writes with economy, which could be due to her target audience. I'm used to books written for younger readers using broad strokes for characters, settings, and theme, but on the flip side there are books like the Harry Potter series and Carl Hiaasen's children's books where the books are no less than what would be written for adults. Either way, Watson's style doesn't sacrifice anything to make her story accessible to her readers. It's definitely on a different level from, say, Karen Traviss' work, but it's no less interesting or engaging because of it.
The stories themselves seem to be simplistic, with the resolutions being obvious at the start of each. Each story was about 50 pages long, so Watson didn't have a lot of time to develop any individual story. The action is minimal, and the danger is rarely life-threatening. Still, she manages to touch on themes of environmentalism, corruption, and politics without forcing them into the stories, which I liked.
It's hard for me to judge the book as a kids' book, since I don't read many of them, but I thought it was an enjoyable read. Watson's written a ton of books in the juvenile EU, and if this is a sample of what she can do, I'm looking forward to the rest of them.
Legacy of the Jedi is about Lorian Nod, who trained to be a Jedi alongside Dooku. The story is comprised of four short stories, the first about Lorian and Dooku, the second about Dooku and Qui-Gon, the third about Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan, and the last about Obi-Wan and Anakin. Lorian is the thread that connects the stories, and we see his growth over the years as he encounters these characters. I liked seeing Watson develop the character, as well as how she characterized the other characters we already know. She did a great job capturing Dooku's inflexibility and distance especially. Lorian isn't drawn as well as any of the others, but he's not the point-of-view character for any of the stories, so we only see him as the other characters do.
Watson writes with economy, which could be due to her target audience. I'm used to books written for younger readers using broad strokes for characters, settings, and theme, but on the flip side there are books like the Harry Potter series and Carl Hiaasen's children's books where the books are no less than what would be written for adults. Either way, Watson's style doesn't sacrifice anything to make her story accessible to her readers. It's definitely on a different level from, say, Karen Traviss' work, but it's no less interesting or engaging because of it.
The stories themselves seem to be simplistic, with the resolutions being obvious at the start of each. Each story was about 50 pages long, so Watson didn't have a lot of time to develop any individual story. The action is minimal, and the danger is rarely life-threatening. Still, she manages to touch on themes of environmentalism, corruption, and politics without forcing them into the stories, which I liked.
It's hard for me to judge the book as a kids' book, since I don't read many of them, but I thought it was an enjoyable read. Watson's written a ton of books in the juvenile EU, and if this is a sample of what she can do, I'm looking forward to the rest of them.