Books: Star Wars: Master & Apprentice By Claudia Gray (2019)

"A Jedi must be a fearless warrior, a guardian of justice, and a scholar in the ways of the Force. But perhaps a Jedi’s most essential duty is to pass on what they have learned. Master Yoda trained Dooku; Dooku trained Qui-Gon Jinn; and now Qui-Gon has a Padawan of his own. But while Qui-Gon has faced all manner of threats and danger as a Jedi, nothing has ever scared him like the thought of failing his apprentice. Obi-Wan Kenobi has deep respect for his Master, but struggles to understand him. Why must Qui-Gon so often disregard the laws that bind the Jedi? Why is Qui-Gon drawn to ancient Jedi prophecies instead of more practical concerns? And why wasn’t Obi-Wan told that Qui-Gon is considering an invitation to join the Jedi Council—knowing it would mean the end of their partnership? The simple answer scares him: Obi-Wan has failed his Master. When Jedi Rael Averross, another former student of Count Dooku, requests their assistance with a political dispute, Jinn and Kenobi travel to the royal court of Pijal for what may be their final mission together. What should be a simple assignment quickly becomes clouded by deceit, and by visions of violent disaster that take hold in Qui-Gon’s mind. As Qui-Gon’s faith in prophecy grows, Obi-Wan’s faith in him is tested—just as a threat surfaces that will demand that Master and apprentice come together as never before, or be divided forever."

The new canon books –which are designed to unify the ever growing Expanded Universe 2.0- tries their best to explain things that happened in the Star Wars film series, minor plot points, and other exposition that would’ve been cut for pacing. This can be a good thing in some ways, as it answers some questions the films brought up.

Star Wars: Master and Apprentice by Claudia Gray tries to make Qui-Gon Jinn less a prophecy zealot and more a pragmatic Jedi with different views on how Jedi conduct themselves. The character of Rael Averros seems designed to show what happens when a Jedi spends too much time away from the Council and other Jedi. There’s this idea that too much individuality is super bad, as if they lose their way. And love, this emotion above all, seems to one the biggest flaws within the Jedi. It does get a bit creepy when you start to dissect some of the motivations of Jedi, and it’s here you see where George Lucas begins cribbing from real life religion. Qui-Gon tells Obi Wan that he’s not really believed in the prophecies in a long time, not since he was a young padawan, but he also does not believe they’re meaningless. The book also explains why Qui-Gon never took a seat on the Jedi Council, after being elevated to Master. This offer comes via Mace Windu, who would eventually offer Anakin a seat on the Council without being elevated to Master in the prequel films. Symmetry and retconing all at the same time.

Claudia Gray remains one of the better writers in the tightly controlled Star Wars universe. Her books with Leia are great, and the characters she creates are always good (love Rehara and Pax). However, when it comes to both Obi-Won and Qui-Gon, she falters a bit with them creatively. The “voices” of the two are somewhat…hollow?

With the latest trailer for Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker now out, and the acknowledgement that the long thought dead Emperor is coming back, there is some hints here that his return was in the Jedi prophecy a long time ago: “when the righteous lose the light, evil once dead shall return." While I'm certain that we'll not get a direct answer as what happened after the events of Return of the Jedi in the film series, at least here in these novels, we may get a better understanding of how things fell apart after the Rebellions success on the forest moon of Endor.

Plus, we know as far back as The Phantom Menace, writer/director George Lucas was already hinting that the Emperor could survive death. And since the acquisition of the franchise with Disney, the books, comics, and animated TV shows, and the newest film series that have followed have slyly shown the seeds of his return were being carefully planted here and there. For some the faults of Chuck Wendig’s Aftermath series, those three books are perfect examples of the long-term planning most fans didn’t think was possible now that Lucas was not in control.

Books: Star Wars: Leia, Princess of Alderaan by Claudia Gray (2017)

Author Claudia Gray has an uncanny talent of tapping into the character of Princess Leia that makes these novels a joy to read. And while Star Wars: Leia, Princess of Alderaan is technically a YA title, the book is also part of puzzle that leads to Episode VIII. Much like the hand full of novels released before The Force Awakens dropped back in 2015, this book is part of a series of novels, called Journey to Star Wars: The Last Jedi, which give hints and background information on things that will be seen in the next film. 

Since the old Expanded Universe became null and void after Disney acquired the franchise, these new books reboot a lot of the characters past. So, essentially, we get new versions of what came before the prequel and original trilogies (along with tales set within those respective films series). While I won’t debate the merits of Disney tossing two decades of assorted novels (both good and bad) the real interesting thing about these new books is that they’re all canon –something not often seen in this type of media. 

This book focuses on sixteen year-old Leia, along with her parents Bail and Breha, with extended guest appearances from Mon Mothma, Governor Tarkin, and new characters and planets that will be seen in The Last Jedi. 

“Sixteen-year-old Princess Leia Organa faces the most challenging task of her life so far: proving herself in the areas of body, mind, and heart to be formally name heir to the throne of Alderaan. She’s taking rigorous survival courses, practicing politics, and spearheading relief missions to worlds under Imperial control. But Leia has worries beyond her claim to the crown. Her parents, Breha and Bail, aren’t acting like themselves lately, they are distant and preoccupied, seemingly more concerned with throwing dinner parties for their allies in the Senate than they are with their own daughter.

“Determined to uncover her parents’ secrets, Leia starts down an increasingly dangerous path that puts her right under the watchful eye of the Empire. And when Leia discovers what her parents and their allies are planning behind closed doors, she finds herself facing what seems like an impossible choice: dedicate herself to the people of Alderaan—including the man she loves—or to the galaxy at large, which is in desperate need of a rebel hero…”

The only real drawback of this novel is Gray’s choice (or Disney’s) to add the teen romance angle. It’s distracting, and at times made Leia a victim. It sort of changes the view of Carrie Fisher’s performance in many ways as well. I mean, we see from A New Hope that Leia is a strong-willed woman who has (probably) been fighting secretly in the Rebellion for years, and to see her reduced to chasing a boy is odd and unrealistic to the true nature of the character presented on screen. 

Granted, until Disney bought the franchise and laid waste to what had come before, Leia’s early childhood and teen years were unexplored, but the whole romance angle was an easy gimmick, cheap in many ways. 

Still, as noted, Gray gave us a realistic view of parenting with Bail and Breha (who comes off as a bad-ass here, and next to Mon Mothma, one of the best in the book). I enjoyed those parts a lot.

The book also gives us a view of the planet Crait years before the remnants of the Empire use it to hide the First Order (apparently, like all good villains, the Emperor had multiple back-up plan just in case Darth Vader and rest of the Galactic Empire failed him). We saw footage of the planet in the teaser trailer for The Last Jedi, the part where we see ships skimming over the surface, stirring up the white-colored salt that nearly covers the entire planet and the red-colored mineral base underneath.

Also given a background is future Vice Admiral Amilyn Holdo. Here in this book she’s a free-spirited young lady (think Luna Lovegood) who is dear friends with Leia. But it’s well-known that in The Last Jedi, there was a falling out between Lei and Amilyn, so it should be interesting if this is explored.

And there is also an unnamed cameo by Director Krennic as well, from Rogue One, so talk about connecting the dots and whatnot.

A good book that sheds some light on Leia’s years on Alderaan, but it’s also has too much teen romance to be taken seriously.

Star Wars: Bloodline By Claudia Gray (2016)

It’s been rumored that Star Wars: Episode VIII will be a bit more political, as it will be the middle part of a trilogy, it can’t be that action packed. Its goal, most likely, will be to set up Episode IX’s conclusion. But one hopes that if the next movie must start explaining the rise of the First Order, we don’t see the endless people sitting and talking that was so distracting in Episodes I-III. 

Claudia Gray returns to the Star Wars universe with Bloodline, a novel set about eighteen years after the Battle for Endor (Return of the Jedi) and begins six years before the events of Star Wars: The Force Awakens.  

“In that time, the glorious New Republic, the governing body that grew out of the Rebellion following the defeat of the Empire, has split into two partisan factions, each of which has its own specific viewpoint on how the galaxy should be run. And neither group is willing to meet the other one halfway, even when the safety of countless people and planets are on the line. The two factions are known as the Populists and the Centrists, with the former believing that planets should be allowed more control over their laws and regulations than a central government and the latter believing that every planet in the Republic should be managed by a strong central governing body. Leia, who is now a respected veteran senator, is a Populist because she lived through the reign of the Empire and thinks everyone answering to a central authority could be a good way to revive tyranny of the Emperor and the Empire. While she does make some headway with one senator, she realizes no one else is willing to compromise, which eventually makes her realize her allies are small and may be alone in stopping the rise of a mysterious force in the galaxy.”

It’s fairly obvious that Gray is borrowing the Populists and Centrists political gridlock from today’s headlines, which will make you smile or groan. Still, science fiction has always been about setting a story in the future (or a long time ago) and framing it with modern problems and issues. But the gist here is to show that the New Republic is pretty much doomed as political infighting has taken its toll. 

Much like her YA debut writing for Star Wars, Lost Star, I found all the characters to be well written, and Gray has an uncanny ability to capture the true voice of the many famous characters. It’s a brisk thriller that easily blends the details of what happened after ROJ and what we all saw in TFA (and how both the Jedi and Darth Vader fell into myth and legend than real things). It is dense with politics, but it’s also wry, often clever and really expands the character of Leia that Episode VII sort of ignored. This version of the princess, six years out from the newest trilogy, reminds me why she should be a more iconic character than she is –at least in the film series. 

These books, though, do have a tough sell ahead of them. Much like the old Expanded Universe, this new timeline created for their rebooted big-screen adventures are destined mainly for hardcore fans. Yes, these books are deliberately designed to give out dribs and drabs of information that will be part of the newest live-action movie series, and maybe some might find them interesting, but on the whole, they’ll go ignored by the broader audience. It’s a shame, though, because Claudia Gray is a fine writer and it takes talent to weave everything together that explains the rise of the Resistance.  

Books: Star Wars: Lost Stars By Claudia Gray (2015)

When Bantam books began releasing Star Wars novels set after Return of the Jedi, I realized that George Lucas was never going to go beyond that last film –though in 1992 no one thought he would do the prequel films as well. Only one book, beyond the novelizations of the A New Hope, The Empire Strikes Back, Return of the Jedi, had been released, which was Alan Dean Foster’s 1978 novel Splinter in the Mind’s Eye. 

At the time, I honestly thought this novel was going to the premise of episode five. Years later, I would learn I was partially right. Foster, who had ghost written the original novelization, was handed the script for a Star Wars follow-up, one that was designed as a cheap-to-make sequel had not the original proved such a success. It seems back then, Lucas and 20^th Century Fox were hedging their bets and so Lucas had created a treatment that became Splinter of the Mind’s Eye.

Anyways, like many a Star Wars fan, I began to collect and read these novels that would eventually be known as the Expanded Universe. But they started to come out so fast, I began to buy them and not read them (something that still happens to this day). But I was also interested in other genres, other books, TV and movies. If I had devoted myself to just reading Star War novels, I may’ve been able to read all them between 1992 and 2012 when Disney acquired the franchise and announced a new series of movies, plus saying the current EU was going to put aside in favor of a new timeline. 

I know some fans were hoping that certain characters and storylines in the EU would make it into what is now known as The Force Awakens. Much like my other beloved franchise, Star Trek, I kind of understand why they’re doing this. Mostly, though, it’s so Disney does not have to pay any novelist rights to popular characters and situations that have molded the EU for 20 years. 

I will also admit, part of the reason I stopped reading the EU was I felt the bad guys threatening our main charterers like Luke, Leia and Han with death was pointless. As a reader, I knew that no writer of any of those novels would be able kill off such beloved people, so when a situation rose where an evil creature pointed a blaster at the head of, say, Princess Leia, I was taken out of the book because I knew, knew, that she would not die. 

Now it’s 2015, and Disney is about to release The Force Awakens in a month, and Disney/Lucasfilm Books have started a whole new Expanded Universe 2.0. Much like the old EU, these books don’t have to read in any sort of order, as they are stand-alone novels. But some will have minor connections to the upcoming new trilogy. 

The new universe began last year with Star Wars: A New Dawn by John Jackson Miller, which is a prequel novel to the new animated TV series Star Wars: Rebels (also note, the two previous animated series dealing with the Clone Wars are considered canon in this new timeline, even though they came before Disney bought the franchise). Star Wars: Tarkin by James Luceno, Star Wars: Heir to the Jedi by Kevin Hearne, and Star Wars: Lords of the Sith by Paul S. Kemp all followed. Again, these are standalone tales that are set before and during and consecutively with Episodes I-VI (and none of which I’ve read). 

Starting in September of this year Disney/Lucasfilm Books began releasing titles under the moniker of Journey to Star Wars: The Force Awakens. These novels would begin adding pieces, some small, and some big to the greater whole of the newest trilogy.  Aftermath by Chuck Wendig, is set primarily after the events of episode VI, but The Weapon of a Jedi: A Luke Skywalker Adventure by Jason Fry, Moving Target: A Princess Leia Adventure by Cecil Castellucci, and Smuggler's Run: A Han Solo Adventure by Greg Rucka are all set within Episode IV-VI (and much like Aftermath, I’ve yet to read them).

This brings me to Lost Stars by Claudia Gray. I admit at first I was not interested in reading this YA tale, even though it was supposed to contain clues that would be explored in The Force Awakens. But I kept seeing reviews that said the book was surprisingly well written, engaging, and fun. So, I thought what the hell. Why not?

Lost Stars gives us a macro view of some of the most important events in the Star Wars universe, from the rise of the Rebellion to the fall of the Empire, but it’s not totally Forrest Gump mashed with Romeo and Juliet and then mixed with Star Wars (yet it is). The novel opens 8 years after the fall of the Old Republic where on the planet Jelucan we meet Ciena Ree and Thane Kyrell. Ree’s family history is she’s part of the original settlers of the planet, while Kyrell was part of the second-wave of settlers. Ree’s generation are generally known as farmers who shun technology (mostly because they’re poor), and live off the land, while Kyrell’s generation are rich and embrace the new technology the Empire is giving them. But both believe the Rebellion to be wrong and know the Empire is right. As they age, they become friends. They train together so by the time they enter the Imperial corps, they become competitive to see whom they can impress the most. But as the Empire tightens its grip on the galaxy, as historical events unfold, both begin to question their loyalty to the Empire. But only one will make a decision that will put them both in opposite ends of a conflict that is tearing the universe apart.

I simply enjoyed this book. I found all the characters to well written, especially our two star-crossed lovers. I liked that Gray gave us a closer, inmate look at the events of episode IV-VI through different eyes, I like the idea that she had characters asking questions like how weird it was a small rag-tag group of rebels were able to destroy the first Death Star (and even question the oddness of its one weakness). Also, funny enough, why Darth Vader ordered the Millennium Falcon’s hyperdrive to be disabled at Bespin if the Empire was so sure they were going to defeat Luke Skywalker and the rest at Cloud City (a plot hole I never thought about). The novel does get a bit “fannish” when late in the novel, after the events of Return of the Jedi, a squadron of fighters travels to a planet where some remnants of the Empire is supposed to hanging out, and its only identification is 5251977. Why not just use THX1138 as a name for a planet?

There is, as advertised, a post skirmish with the Empire that has some bearing on The Force Awakens. It's a chapter set about a year after ROTJ that also features the final confrontation between Cree and Kyrell over the planet Jakku, the desert world where Rey lives and where Finn crashes onto (and one can assume the downed Star Destroyer seen in the trailer, the one stuck in the sand, the one where Rey appears to be investigating, is the same one mentioned in this book). There is not much more of a revelation here, just a bit of backstory. Oddly, though, after reading 500 pages of this book, I did not feel cheated that this is the only glimpse into the next film. It seemed a logical aspect within the novel, and not something designed merely to get you to read a YA book. 

Finally, I’m unsure if I’ll continue reading these new novels set in the new canon (that also includes the latest novel Battlefront: Twilight Company by Alexander Freed which serving as an introduction to the new video game, also serves as another peek into the new movie series). There is much I want to read, both old and new (I mean I have hundreds of unread books just waiting for me here at the house, and each time I add new ones, well, things don’t ever get caught up). But never say never, I guess.