And for the last edition of this week's Mark This Book Monday, an ARC review!
Kenobi: Star Wars by John Jackson Miller
My rating: 3 of 5 stars
I got this ARC from NetGalley in exchange for a honest review. Thank you DelRey/LucasBooks.
I have to start saying that I have been a huge Star Wars geek since I was 13 and since I'm turning 33 that means I've been a fan now for 20 years, and I've devoured the books in the Expanded Universe since I discovered them and started ordering them online. My love for the books and events going on got seriously dimished after reading The Dark Nest trilogy by Troy Denning, and I just couldn't get into The Legacy of the Force series or the Fate of the Jedi ones. I thought reading about events in between movies would help me get over that slump, so I very enthusiasticaly requested Kenobi.
It took me quite a while to get into the book but I don't really think it's the book's fault, it might just be me not being ready to go back into the Star Wars universe.
We get to see Obi-Wan getting settled into the new life he's going to try and carve in Tatooine, when his mission and his purpose is watching over Luke. We follow a few stories that are intertwined, both the settlers in Tatooine fighting the harsh Twin Suns and using any technology they can to get water and thrive, and the Tusken raiders/warriors that feel it's their sacred duty to fight the settlers and destroy their technology in any shape and form.
It's a frontier land look at it, and life is tough. The characters are rough but they are distinct enough and well fleshed out. We also get a deeper look to the Tuskens' way of life and a look at their way of thinking, since the story changes POV and some of those are Tusken warriors.
My favourite parts of the book were Obi-Wan trying to contact Qui-Gon's ghost, sort of like diary entries, reflecting on his responsabilies, actions and choices.
I had issues keeping my attention in the book for long, and I kept on taking breaks from it, but again, I don't think it's the author or the book's fault, the story in itself was good and it showed a different side of the Obi-Wan we all know and love, the one that becomes Ben, the old crazy wizard living on the Jutland Wastes.
This book could appeal even to not Star Wars fans, cause the story focus is not just on Ben, but on the life of the settlers and the story is a true survival tale in the frontier style, even a bit western-ish. I'm not even sure I just didn't feel like rooting for the characters as much.
Even if I'm a bit torn, I give it 3 stars.
View all my reviews
Kenobi: Star Wars by John Jackson MillerMy rating: 3 of 5 stars
I got this ARC from NetGalley in exchange for a honest review. Thank you DelRey/LucasBooks.
I have to start saying that I have been a huge Star Wars geek since I was 13 and since I'm turning 33 that means I've been a fan now for 20 years, and I've devoured the books in the Expanded Universe since I discovered them and started ordering them online. My love for the books and events going on got seriously dimished after reading The Dark Nest trilogy by Troy Denning, and I just couldn't get into The Legacy of the Force series or the Fate of the Jedi ones. I thought reading about events in between movies would help me get over that slump, so I very enthusiasticaly requested Kenobi.
It took me quite a while to get into the book but I don't really think it's the book's fault, it might just be me not being ready to go back into the Star Wars universe.
We get to see Obi-Wan getting settled into the new life he's going to try and carve in Tatooine, when his mission and his purpose is watching over Luke. We follow a few stories that are intertwined, both the settlers in Tatooine fighting the harsh Twin Suns and using any technology they can to get water and thrive, and the Tusken raiders/warriors that feel it's their sacred duty to fight the settlers and destroy their technology in any shape and form.
It's a frontier land look at it, and life is tough. The characters are rough but they are distinct enough and well fleshed out. We also get a deeper look to the Tuskens' way of life and a look at their way of thinking, since the story changes POV and some of those are Tusken warriors.
My favourite parts of the book were Obi-Wan trying to contact Qui-Gon's ghost, sort of like diary entries, reflecting on his responsabilies, actions and choices.
I had issues keeping my attention in the book for long, and I kept on taking breaks from it, but again, I don't think it's the author or the book's fault, the story in itself was good and it showed a different side of the Obi-Wan we all know and love, the one that becomes Ben, the old crazy wizard living on the Jutland Wastes.
This book could appeal even to not Star Wars fans, cause the story focus is not just on Ben, but on the life of the settlers and the story is a true survival tale in the frontier style, even a bit western-ish. I'm not even sure I just didn't feel like rooting for the characters as much.
Even if I'm a bit torn, I give it 3 stars.
View all my reviews
I'm not big on anything star wars or overly sci fi like this but my husband would definitely love it!
ReplyDeleteI'm thinking I'll see what the bf thinks of it, cause for some reason I just couldn't love this as much as I wanted to!
DeleteThanks Giselle!
Too bad you had trouble getting into this one. I like the idea of the western-y frontier planet. It has a Firefly vibe going on!
ReplyDeleteYeah, I'm sad I just couldn't get into it as much as I had hoped, but the book was not bad at all.
DeleteI've never really been a hardcore star wars fan, which is weird, as I've always liked anything and everything to do with science fiction. So this doesn't really sounds like something that I might enjoy, but I'm glad you thought it was okay overall, even if you didn't full love it. Great review as always!
ReplyDeleteThanks Sam! I'm sad I couldn't get into it, but I think I'm burned out on Star Wars books for a while...
DeleteSo I don't admit to being a real Star Wars fan (I'm more of a Star Trek kind of gal ;)) so this book never really caught my attention. I doubt I'd enjoy it much too. First of all, I am an EXTREMELY impatient reader (I'm trying to fix that, trust me!) so I like my books with its fair share of action, and it has to be able to capture my attention within at least the first few chapters. Otherwise it's almost always a DNF. Thanks for such an honest and helpful review, though!
ReplyDeleteThank you, Megan!
DeleteI'm not too much of an impatient reader, but sometimes the book just doesn't seem to grab you, and I usually do more of a DNF-fn (for now) and give it another try later, sometimes I'm not in the right mood for the book and then I enjoy it... this one was a bit of chore to finish!