Good basic sci/fi Star Wars fiction.

Okay I don't know what to say about this book's plotline. It's fine, but it seems like it could be described as "things just happening to Obi-Wan and Anakin." For the main overarching story they are supposed to be investigating the disappearance of a Jedi, but it seems like they mostly just chill on Zonoma Sekot and wait for answers to be revealed to them.

Also several things toe the line between "wow a unique imaginative idea" and "okay that's Too Weird." The thing with Sienar and Tarkin was also somewhat difficult to follow: namely, what even was Tarkin's deal? What was he even trying to do? It seemed like he really just wanted to destroy Zonoma Sekot for kicks.

However... do I care about these things? Not really.

I have more important things on my mind, such as GREG BEAR'S INCREDIBLY STRONG CHARACTERIZATION GAME. This book understands Obi-Wan and Anakin better than any (official) Star Wars media I have ever seen, with the possible exception of Stover's ROTS novelization. Every chapter with them was a mile-a-minute thrill of OF COURSE OBI WAN WOULD SAY THAT. OF COURSE THAT'S HOW ANAKIN THINKS. (For me this is what passes for mile-a-minute thrills.)

I was so hyped for their every single interaction that having to go back to Sienar and Tarkin every other chapter was a severe disappointment. Anakin is my twelve-year-old son whom I have raised these many years, and whom I adore. Obi-Wan is at his youngest and most uptight, and I love him more than my own life.

Some things:

• "Is the Chosen One not in his room?" Apparently Anakin is just casually referred to as the Chosen One around the Jedi Temple.

• Is this book hinting at the Yuuzhan Vong? Because I have never read the Yuuzhan Vong series, but I couldn't think of anyone else qualified to be the "Far Outsiders" besides maybe the Chiss, and it was pretty obvious it wasn't the Chiss.

• BPD Anakin Skywalker

• Obi-Wan is so tired. He's like, Do we have to almost die 5 times before breakfast for no reason, Anakin? We're not even on a mission, we're AT HOME. Anakin's like, YES. WE DO. And Obi-Wan's just like, Okay then. He's so tired.

• So, when Anakin met Tarkin again during "The Citadel" arc of TCW, does he recognize him as the same guy who took him prisoner as a twelve-year-old? I'm thinking probably not, but you can BET that Tarkin knew exactly who he was talking to the whole time. No wonder their later relationship was Tarkin "holding Vader's leash." Tarkin has been playing Anakin Skywalker since he was 12.

• Obi-Wan using Qui-Gon's lightsaber. 💕💕💕💕💕💕💕

• THRACIA CHO LEEM. First of all... I am confused. She's married several times? She has many children? She's a Jedi Master the whole Council loves and respects? How do these things go together...? Was marriage not actually considered a violation of Jedi vows? Also, she leaves the Order as a master... but is not counted as one of the Lost 20? What on earth is happening.

• "I dreamed I was with Qui-Gon. He said to tell you hello. He said you're so hard to talk to."

• I love the portrayal of the Council in this.

• "Personally, Obi-Wan found ritual a bore." NOBODY ELSE HAS BALANCED OBI-WAN KENOBI'S MANY CONTRADICTIONS THIS WELL EXCEPT RUTH BAULDING. I AM HOLLERING. There are like ten other awesome points of Obi-Wan characterization, but I'm not going to include them all here because you have to just read the book.

• Anakin liquidizes some guy's innards with his mind in a fit of rage.

• "If there's some sort of airship race here, can we try it?" " 'We'?" "Sure, you'd be great. You learn fast, but you've gotta be more confident." No offense but I have never read anything better than this in my life.

Although a very well-known Legends story, this is probably my least favorite Star Wars book so far. It took the vast majority of the book to even get interesting.

Obi-Wan using Qui-Gons lightsaber, where did that come from? Anakins gruesome first non-droid kill but we're barely told anything about it. This also goes completely against any idea of Anakin and Tarkin working together in the future, as they do. This also teases the origin of the Death Star, which doesn't fit.

It's one saving grace is the references to the Yuuzhan Vong (though they're not identified yet), and the idea of a planet being sentient and having the ability to enter hyperspace is pretty cool, though it didn't turn out as cool as I'd hoped.

That was…weird?

Although I listened to the abridged audio edition of this book most recently and have listened to that edition a couple of other times, I have also read the print book once [although it took more than one time checking it out of the library to force myself through it].
The last line there should give you a pretty good idea about my thoughts on this book. In fact, I remember specifically reading the full book hoping that maybe something that was cut in the abridgment of it that would make it more enjoyable or understandable, but no- there is a pretty big jump between the middle and the end where things fall to pieces without making much sense.
Even as I re-read it this time I found myself wondering if maybe my mind had wandered too much during my prior readings of it because it wasn't that bad until the end, but once again I was surprised at what a bad turn it took. In fact, maybe that is why I don't like it as much, because it strings you along for a pretty enjoyable ride and then turns on you.
This book was written to be a prequel to the New Jedi Order series with its Yuuzhan Vong invasion. It was interesting, although confusing, to see Vergere and "the far outsiders". It was also interesting to see bio-ships again [this was also done as a lengthy, and disconnected, side plot in The Black Fleet Crisis Trilogy with Lando, Lobot and the droids exploring the Teljkon Vagabond].

Spoiler

A moving, living planet gives a little more credence to the barely believable construction of the Corellian system from the Corellian Trilogy.

My biggest complaint, and this will be a theme through all of my reviews of the prequel/"Rise of the Empire" era novels is that every author wants to foreshadow the downfall of Anakin, and this just becomes unbelievable. For someone to be this terrible throughout, it makes it even less believable that no one saw this coming, or that everyone just turned a blind eye. In addition to that, unfortunately we don't get to see Obi-Wan be the confident Master in this book, although that is probably reasonable at this point in the timeline. Also, a common theme in the pre-prequel [real-world chronology] novels is that everyone wants to claim creation of the Death Star plans which became so convoluted, with Tarkin, Bevel Lemelisk, Qui Xux, Poggle the Lesser, and probably others that I missed all given credit at one point for creating it, that eventually [b:a whole novel|786729|Death Star (Star Wars)|Michael Reaves|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1320503718s/786729.jpg|772725] was commissioned just to retcon the whole mess. To me, it seems obvious, that authors should have just stepped away from some things and let certain stories be left alone for the movies to address, but often times these extras were written about and it makes little sense. And in the authors' defense, there have been times where they have been directed to do certain things, so maybe this was outside of their control, but it still seems short-sighted. Having said that, this book does a better job than any other in the Legends EU series giving Tarkin some depth of character and background, which was quite revealing to see.
This book isn't the worst in the Star Wars [Legends] Expanded Universe, that honor used to belong to [a:Barbara Hambly|10333|Barbara Hambly|https://d.gr-assets.com/authors/1251133270p2/10333.jpg], but now I think [a:Joe Schreiber|263547|Joe Schreiber|https://s.gr-assets.com/assets/nophoto/user/m_50x66-82093808bca726cb3249a493fbd3bd0f.png] has taken that title away from her with his two horror books, but it comes right up against them.

A pretty slow start to my Star Wars reading journey... The story was a little dull and the rituals of the ship building felt rather dragged out, action only ever starting up in the last couple of pages.
But I liked the characterizations, especially Obi-Wan's, and getting a feel for his and Anakin's relationship at a time in point that wasn't explored on screen.