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"The
tale begun in The Ties That Bind
continues in The Death of Hope, with the two Jedi heading off
in pursuit of their kidnapped comrade, Tahl.
"The pursuit takes up the entirety of the book which is, sadly,
too much. Whilst at the beginning, there is a sense of urgency
regarding the plight and the tension that Qui-Gon feels is almost
tangible, as the story progresses, with digressions and distractions
assaulting Tahl’s rescuers, any immediacy wears off and there is a
distinct lack of drive to the story that lets it down immensely. As
Qui-Gon’s frustration builds regarding these diversions, so does
the readers, partly due to empathy, but also because the hold-ups
seem to bleed away any pacing to the story. I appreciate that this
is, in fact, their purpose, but it didn’t make the reading
experience any less irritating. It takes things just a touch too
far, turning a literary device to whet the reader’s need to plough
ahead into moderate banality.
"The most impressive part of the book was the journey
undertaken by Qui-Gon. He battles within; his Jedi training on one
side and his feelings for Tahl on the other. Watson allows us to
easily empathise with Qui-Gon throughout the book, particularly at
the end, which is most poignant.
"Tense and emotive, it loses its pacing and doesn’t fully
recover, although the ending is a stunner."
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