Search

"This young readers’ book gives exciting glimpses into the master/apprentice relationships that existed between four pairings of Jedi: Yoda and Dooku, Dooku and Qui-Gon, Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan, Obi-Wan and Anakin. All of these relationships have one major connection in the story: Lorian Nod, a former Padawan at the Jedi Temple.
"Ultimately this book is about redemption. It shows us the beginnings of the fall of Dooku, the tension between Dooku and Qui-Gon, Qui-Gon’s determination not to repeat that tension with his Padawan and the inevitable tension that existed between Obi-Wan and Anakin during Anakin’s fall. The links between Dooku’s descent and Anakin’s are well executed, even for a children’s novel (albeit for slightly older children). The parallels drawn between Dooku’s hubris and Anakin’s ambition are excellently portrayed and the characterisations of all of the main characters are spot on, from Dooku’s aloof sense of self-importance to Qui-Gon’s strong sense of justice, even if it means bending a few rules. The redemption theme is somewhat bittersweet, given that we already know of Dooku’s and Anakin’s fates, but again, Watson is clever. She juxtaposes the two of them with Lorian, a character who has many flaws but who eventually concedes and even begins to accept his failings. It is in this act that he becomes capable of redemption, whereas Dooku and Anakin, characters who insist that the flaws others see in them are merely the reflections of the flaws in others, cannot hope to achieve deliverance from fate.
"The only two gripes I had with the whole book were: Oppo Rancisis striding across a room (he’s a Thisspiasian and therefore is incapable of striding) and the continual reappearance of Nod. His popping up seemed to stretch plausibility at times, but the explanations were always relatively acceptable.
"I thoroughly enjoyed this book and its insights into the relationships between the infamous Jedi it portrays. Well worth a read, whether you’re a young reader or not."