The New Republic > Dark Apprentice

Page updated: 21st March 2008

Events that occur between 5 and 25 years after the Battle of Yavin.

		Title:		Jedi Academy #2: Dark Apprentice
		Author:		Kevin J. Anderson
		Format:		PAPERBACK NOVEL
		Published:		1994

Synopsis:
As the New Republic takes devastating losses in the ongoing war with the scattered remnants of the Empire, the galaxy's future depends on three small children - among them the Jedi twins - born to incredible powers and perils. Breaking the Pax Republica, Admiral Daala uses her Imperial fleet to conduct guerrilla warfare on peaceful worlds. And now she threatens the watery homeworld of Admiral Ackbar. But while the battle for a planet rages, an even greater danger emerges at Luke Skywalker's Jedi Academy. A brilliant young student, Kyp Durron, delves dangerously into the dark side of the Force. Impatient to rid the universe of its conflicts, Kyp steals an extraordinary doomsday weapon - the Sun Crusher - to subjugate the Republic's last enemies. And when Luke Skywalker confronts his rebellious student, a titanic duel of Jedi powers erupts. But Kyp has a dark and deadly ally on his side... and together they may prove more than even a Jedi Master can handle.

Chronology:
This story occurs approximately 11 years after the Battle of Yavin, and is the second book of a trilogy.

Related Stories (in chronological order):

I, Jedi by Michael A. Stackpole
Jedi Search by Kevin J. Anderson
Dark Apprentice
Champions of the Force by Kevin J. Anderson
Jedi Academy: The Leviathan by Kevin J. Anderson et al.

Availability:
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Story Reviews:

Review by RobB, USA, 2008:

"Dark Apprentice is Kevin J. Anderson's second book in his Jedi Academy Trilogy. It takes place a short while after the first book, Jedi Search, which you obviously must have read before starting this novel.
"Luke has completed his search and found twelve trainees for his new Academy, plus the young Kyp Durron who helped rescue Han and Chewie from the Kessel system. Unfortunately, only a few of these twelve are mentioned by name in this book. I suppose this was to allow other authors to insert their own characters into this group in future novels. Meanwhile Admiral Daala plans her personal war against the New Republic while they struggle with new problems.
"This was another excellent read. It was fast paced with a good plot. Anderson doesn't waste a lot of time describing planets or background scenery, but he still paints a picture you can easily visualize. I wish more authors had that talent of word efficiency! These first two books in the trilogy are very enjoyable to read and provide a foundation that much of the Expanded Universe is built on. This trilogy is definitely require reading for anyone wanting to understand the basics of the Expanded Universe!
"That is not to say that this book is without flaws. The biggest complaint I have about this books is that, like Jedi Search, Anderson's characterizations are off the mark. This is painfully obvious with his portrayal of Han and Lando. Han receives an urgent call from Mon Mothma, leader of the New Republic, and he stops to play a sabacc game with Lando for ownership of the Millennium Falcon. Later, Lando acts like whiny teenager with his wanting to impress a woman - hardly Mr. Smooth that we come to expect from the man with the cape!
"Another problem I had with the book is how Luke "trains" his candidates. Yoda really put Luke through his paces on Dagobah. But on Yavin, it seems the candidates mostly wander around the jungle and lay around to meditate. The only real training shown in the book is Luke operating the Jedi Holocron, which is more show-and-tell rather than training. I was expecting more than this.
"Lastly, as a father myself, I can't believe that two year olds could act as mature as Jacen and Jaina did in this book. Yes I know they are Jedi and strong in the Force. However, their actions would be so much more believable if they were four year olds instead!
"If you enjoyed the first book, you will definitely enjoy this book as well. The books leaves enough open storylines that you will be wanting to get to the bookstore quickly to see how it all ends."

Rating: 4 / 5

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